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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Cuvier du Chapter de Cahors, located at 35 rue de la Chantrerie, is a building whose current structure is the result of several construction campaigns. The main brick body and the stone stairwell suggest a medieval origin, with architectural traces dating back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Four Gothic bays on the façade and windows pierced in the 18th century testify to subsequent changes. The hypothesis of an initial cudier function (place of collection of royalties in wine or vintage for the chapter) is advanced, although no vestige of the original cudiers remains. An archival mention from 1606 to 1650 attests to the use of number 93 of the street as press of the chapter.

The building, perhaps unfinished, would have been the subject of a first construction campaign in the 4th quarter of the 15th century, followed by major additions in the 17th century, including the current staircase and annexation of a nearby house. The stones delineating the primitive building between the façade and the impasse of the Chantrerie underline this historical stratification. A significant restoration was carried out in 1989–90, leading to its classification as a Historic Monument in 1990. The alternative hypothesis of a merchant lodge with a hall on the ground floor, although plausible, remains unconfirmed by the sources.

The location of the cuvier, in the old rue de la Chantrerie (now rue de la Garrelerie), reflects its integration into the medieval urban fabric of Cahors, marked by wine and commercial activities. The building, now privately owned, illustrates the successive adaptations of a public building to changing needs, from the perception of tithes to later residential or artisanal uses. Its hybrid architecture, blending Gothic and classical design, makes it a witness to the stylistic and functional transitions in Occitanie.

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