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Origin and history

The house at 17 rue de la Foire in Pézenas is an example of medieval civil architecture, mainly dating from the 15th century. Its front door, adorned with a broken arch with flat boudins, suggests an earlier origin, probably the end of the 14th century or the very beginning of the 15th. This entrance, shifted from the inner courtyard, contrasts with later elements such as the polygonal staircase turret, whose lintel consists of three depressed arches superimposed. These details, as well as the bays on the ground floor and the remains of a decorative crenelage, allow to date this part around 1500.

The street of the Fair, the major shopping street of the old Pézenas, housed houses reflecting the prosperity of the city. This house has marked stylistic features: interior doors in accolade, door-windows with intersected mouldings, and heeled columns, typical of the 15th century ending. These decorative elements indicate a neat construction, probably intended for an affluent family or a notable local. The older entrance door could come from a pre-existing structure, integrated during construction or subsequent overhauls.

In the 17th century, the house underwent major renovations under the impulse of Henri de La Serre, captain-châtelain de Cabrières. In 1634 he enlarged the property by incorporating a patu (court) and a stable, mentioned in the compoix (cadastre) of 1615, when the house belonged to his brother Francis. These transformations changed the initial configuration, notably by linking the house to the current address of 12, Cours Jean-Jaurès. The elements protected today, such as the gate on street, the facades on courtyard and the stair turret, were inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 22 July 1963.

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