Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The log house located 3 Place Creux-du-Marché in Billom is a historic monument whose ground floor, built in arcose bellows, contrasts with the floors in wooden panels and bellows. First floor corbellation is based on wooden beams and poles, some of which were removed after 1904 to build a garage door. The windows on both floors have preserved their wooden frames and ground supports, testimonies of medieval architecture.

The second floor, also in corbellation, is supported by a moulded beam and five consoles, while a genoise adorns the roof. Originally, the house housed a shop adjacent to a pedestrian door, now redesigned. The ground floor, very transformed over the centuries, had a corridor serving a spiral staircase. The wooden panels, initially covered with coating, were restored and bare in the second half of the 20th century.

Classified as a Historic Monument since 1963 for its facade and roof, this house illustrates the architectural and urban evolution of Billom. The successive modifications, such as the opening of a second door between the 17th and 18th centuries (now condemned), reflect the functional adaptations of the building. Despite these transformations, it remains a remarkable example of medieval habitat in Auvergne, combining traditional constructive techniques and traces of past uses.

The location of the house, on a central square of Billom, suggests its importance in the commercial and social life of the city in the 15th century. The corbellations, typical of medieval houses, allowed to enlarge the living space while sheltering the ground floor. These characteristics, combined with the presence of a shop, indicate a vocation both residential and artisanal, common in the prosperous villages of the time.

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