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Origin and history

The House of Conferences, located in Nerac in the department of Lot-et-Garonne, is a mansion built in the sixteenth century on the site of ancient medieval houses. It consists of a main house body, a wing in return with three superimposed galleries, and a stairway pavilion, added at the end of the 16th or early 17th century. Although tradition is associated with the peace conferences between Catholics and Protestants in 1579, it is likely that these discussions took place mainly at Nerac Castle.

In February 1579 Catherine de Medici stayed in Nerac for negotiations to end the wars of religion. The 27 articles of the agreement, signed on 28 February by Catherine de Medici and Henri III of Navarre (future Henri IV), grant 14 places of security to Protestants for six months. These agreements follow the terms of the Bergerac Treaty. The house, although linked to this event by tradition, preserves remarkable architectural elements of the 15th and 16th centuries, such as sled windows and carved pilaster galleries.

The building underwent several modifications over the centuries: a building was added to the backyard in the 17th century, and the façade on the Rue de l'Ecole was remodeled in the 18th century. Divided into small properties between the 17th and 18th centuries, the house also saw the construction of three houses on Place Saint-Nicolas from the third third third of the 18th century. It became a municipal property in 1981 after a donation, and its courtyard facades, cover and conference room were classified as historic monuments in 1988, followed by a registration of buildings and floors in 1996.

Architecturally, the Conference House features an interior courtyard adorned with a pavilion containing a staircase, as well as 16th-century facades with pilaster-framed door windows. A three-storey gallery, in return for square, completes the whole. Headpieces carved in round-bosse adorn the pillars of the first floor, adding to its historical character. Despite its name, its exact role in the conferences of 1579 remains uncertain, with sources suggesting that Nerac Castle was the main place of negotiations.

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