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Origin and history

The house of La Taverne is a medieval patriotic dwelling built in Caussade in the last quarter of the 13th century. This building, also known as a tower house, is distinguished by its brick architecture, typical of urban homes in southwestern France. Initially isolated, it was enlarged by a second house in the north before the middle of the 14th century, as evidenced by the frieze of ECU.

The house gained a special reputation thanks to Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who represented it in his Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture française (1863) as archetype of medieval residences. Ranked a historic monument in 1925, it was the subject of extensive archaeological studies only in 2009 during a redevelopment project. A dendrochronological analysis made it possible to date precisely its construction: the beams of the first floor ceilings date back to 1274-1275, and those of the second floor to 1278-1282.

Major transformations took place in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the 15th century, the windows on the first floor were changed into double-crossed windows, probably under the impulse of the local Missolières family. An Italian staircase, added in the 16th or 17th century, serves the three living floors and the ground floor, once occupied by shops. The ceiling soles retain traces of 16th century murals, including a red and yellow half-part surcot character, with a Phrygian cap.

The original building, of trapezoidal shape (7.50-9.40 m wide, 11 m long, 16.10 m high), combines bricks and stone elements for bandels and columns. The facade, crowned with a corbellation of tiles ("genoise"), illustrates the influence of Mediterranean constructive techniques. Despite its current name as "Taverne", the monument was formerly called "House of Widows", without the origin of this change being known.

The murals discovered, though fragmentary, reveal a sophisticated decor: interlaces, roses and golden macaroons adorn the ceilings, while a wall on the first floor retains a human figure of life-size. These elements, combined with illegible inscriptions, suggest a high social status of the occupants. The house, now located at 21 rue de la République, remains an exceptional testimony of medieval civil architecture in Occitanie.

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