Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The strong house of Ephisses, formerly called Les Peisses, stands at Vourles (Rhône), on the right bank of the Garon. Its architecture forms a quadrilateral around a central courtyard, with a door surmounted by a square tower dating from the 16th century. Private property, it does not visit but preserves traces of its medieval and Renaissance history.

Around the year thousand, the site belongs to hospital brothers. In 1314 he became a fief for Lambert Parent, integrated into the parish of Orlienas until the Revolution. A 1366 document already mentions the castrum of Piscibus. The Faye family, owner of the 15th to 17th centuries, marked the history of the place: Pierre Faye (circa 1500), his son Jean (spouse of Jeanne Clavel), then Barthélemy (died 1581), president of the petitions, whose tragic end is related.

In the 17th century, the house passed into the hands of families such as the Prosts, the Allerys, or the Blanchet de Pravieux. In 1772, Pierre Mermier, squire and adviser to the king, sold it to Charles Riboud, who undertook restorations. Divided into houses in the 20th century, it now houses eight families, while remaining the seat of a farm.

The coats of arms of the Parent families (silver with a fascice of sand), Faye (a band of azure loaded with unicorn collars), or Blanchet of Pravieux (a band of gold between two lilies) recall his seigneurial heritage. The departmental archives of the Rhône and local works, such as those of George Guigue, document his history.

Ranked among the fortified houses of Lyon, Spéisses illustrates the evolution of fortified houses into agricultural residences, while retaining defensive elements of the 16th century. Its path reflects social changes, from feudality to revolution and then to modern rurality.

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