Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Fompeyrous House is an iconic medieval Gothic house in Cordes-sur-Ciel, a town in Tarn, Occitanie. Built in the Middle Ages by a wealthy local family, it is one of the many Gothic civil buildings that have earned this village the nickname of "City to the Hundred Warheads". Its architecture reflects the prosperity of Cordes-sur-Ciel at that time, marked by a strong concentration of bourgeois houses and religious buildings.

The facade of the house, classified as a historic monument since May 23, 1912, is distinguished by its three floors with marked Gothic characteristics. The ground floor features six glass arches with wooden stands, one of which incorporates a nailed door. The first and second floors are pierced with geminate windows and high bays, unusual for the time. Although the interior has been altered over the centuries, the facade remains an intact testimony of medieval civil architecture.

Located opposite the church of Saint Michael, the house occupies a strategic location in the "castrum" of Cordes-sur-Ciel. It is organized around a central courtyard accessible by a covered passage from the Grand Street. This house, probably dating from the last quarter of the 13th century, was restored between 1987 and 1988. Today, only the main facade is protected, while the building belongs to the municipality.

Fompeyrous House is part of an exceptional medieval urban complex, where Gothic houses stand alongside religious buildings and public squares. Its architecture, both functional and adorned, illustrates the high social status of its first owners, while at the same time testifying to construction techniques in vogue in the South-West of France in the Middle Ages. Its ranking among historical monuments underlines its heritage importance and its role in the identity of Cordes-sur-Ciel.

External links