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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Gothic cellar of the English courtyard, located in La Rochelle, dates from the 4th quarter of the 12th century and constitutes one of the oldest preserved monuments of the city, with the lower hall of the tower of the Lantern. It presents itself as a rectangle of 12 x 8 meters, divided into two naves of three vaulted French arches. The chamfered veins are based on committed columns and two monolithic central columns, while the predominantly hooked capitals illustrate the diffusion of the Gothic style radiating in the West after 1250. A stratigraphic cut made in 1991 revealed eighteen levels alternating embankment and occupation soils, the oldest probably dating from the 16th-17th centuries, and the most recent of the 18th century.

In the 13th century, the site, called the Court d'Angliers, housed an urban house dependent on the chaplaincy-prieuré of Saint-Jean-Dehors (founded in 1178, rebuilt in 1226). Rented in the 15th century for 28 living grounds, it later became the House of Priests of the Oratory. In the 18th century, the cellar was divided in two by a wall (1734), and its two access stairs, added later, are today condemned. Acquired by the municipality in the 1960s, this cellar reflects the prosperity of La Rochelle a century after its foundation, thanks to its careful architecture and its relatively satisfactory state of conservation.

The cellar has been fully protected since a registration order of 18 November 2024, covering cadastral parcels n°53 and n°122 (section AE). Its oculus/mountain-load integrated with a key vault, as well as the diversity of the tiles of the capitals, underline its heritage interest. Although closed to the visit, it remains a key testimony of medieval town planning in the region, linked to the rise of maritime commerce.

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