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Origin and history

The Cal Mateu farm, built at the beginning of the 18th century in Sainte-Leocadie in the Pyrénées-Orientales, is a typical example of Cerdanian agricultural architecture. It was a place of power under the Ancien Régime, linked to the Sicart family, viguier de Cerdagne for four generations, representing the French kingship for a century. At the time of the Revolution, it became a farm that was rent-free.

In 1810, during the Napoleonic wars, the farm was burned down and then bought by Mateu Riu, a Barcelona merchant, who made it his summer residence. She then took the name of Cal Mateu (At Mathieu in Catalan). Work was carried out there, such as the addition of sparrows (1826) and sparrows (ceramic masks to remove witches) at the corners of the roof. These decorative elements, typical of the region, symbolized protection against bad spells.

Agricultural activity continued until 1994, when Jacques and Marie Bragulat, the last farmers, retired. Repurchased by the commune in 1982, the farm was transformed into a museum in 1992, the Cerdagne Museum, after being listed as a historical monument in 1984. Today, it illustrates both local rural history and Franco-Spanish cultural exchanges.

Architecturally, the estate is organized around a triangular courtyard, with a two-storey, attic rectangular house body. The south facade features a terraced traffic gallery, while the roof, adorned with three sprigs and a florid girouette, reflects attention to symbolic details. The communes, in schist and granite bellows, housed stables, barns and sheds, testifying to the traditional organization of the Cerdan farms.

The protection of the monument, effective since 21 December 1984, concerns facades, roofs and the traffic gallery. These elements preserve the authenticity of a rural heritage marked by border tensions (Treaty of the Pyrenees, 1659) and Catalan influences, visible in scenery and toponymy.

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