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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Lautier House, located in Lagrasse, Aude, is a remarkable example of 15th and 16th century civil architecture. Its construction spans between two distinct periods: the stair turret and adjacent parts date from the late 15th century (circa 1495), while the street façade, with its corbellations and paintings, was built between 1533 and 1543. This monument illustrates the transition between late Gothic and Renaissance, with bold constructive techniques for the time.

The façade of the ground floor rests on four stone pillars surmounted by double corbelled consoles, connected by counter-curves. Originally designed with a skeleton, it was partially moored later, retaining only two windows and a central door. The first floor, largely overhanging, is supported by a monoxyl longitudinal beam and a boxing system reinforced by counterfiche. These structural elements, combined with irregular beams, create metopes housing 21 painted panels depicting characters, fantastic animals and plant motifs.

The interior gives access to a stone screw staircase, characteristic of bourgeois houses of the era. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1948, and then re-registered by order of 3 June 2024, the house has been home to a contemporary stained glass workshop since 2013. This restored place thus combines medieval heritage and contemporary artistic creation, while preserving architectural traces up to the 13th century according to certain sources.

The precise location of the house at 4 rue des Mazels and 9 Place de la Halle make it a central part of the historic urban fabric of Lagrasse. Its state of conservation and its stylistic peculiarities make it a rare testimony of houses with wooden strips and painted decorations of the Midi de la France. The paintings, protected by the advance of the first floor, constitute an exceptional iconographic ensemble for the Occitanie region.

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