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Origin and history

François Laurens' house in Fousais-Payré, built in 1557, is an exceptional testimony of 16th century urban civil architecture. Built for a city merchant, it is distinguished by its large housing body formerly accompanied by a gallery surmounted by a loggia, as well as by a stairway tower. This monument, ranked among the rare examples preserved at the time, reflects the social and economic status of its sponsor.

The main façade, overlooking the church square, preserved almost intact its original pierces, including a serlian bay and a door decorated with a pediment. Inside, despite later modifications, there are remarkable Renaissance elements: carved doors, old beams, period chimneys and a niche that probably housed a fountain. These details illustrate the architectural refinement of the Renaissance in the provincial environment.

Inscribed in the Historical Monuments by decree of 10 April 1989, the house embodies both a preserved built heritage and a symbol of the flourishing trade in Vendée in the sixteenth century. Its present state, although partially altered, makes it possible to understand the spatial and decorative organization of bourgeois houses of the time, while stressing the importance of merchants in the development of small towns.

The location of the house, at 3 Rue François Viète in Fousais-Payré, and its inscription in the historical urban fabric make it a point of interest for the study of the civil habitat of the Renaissance in the Pays de la Loire. The accuracy of its location, assessed as satisfactory a priori, facilitates its identification in the local architectural landscape.

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