Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Leboix House, located at 2 rue Porte-Saint-Pierre in Montluçon (Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), is an emblematic civil building of the late 15th century. Built in wooden panels, it illustrates the medieval architecture of Bourbonnais with its two floors in light corbellation, its cornel posts adorned with pinacles, and its panels decorated with crosses of Saint Andrew. The richly carved facade has a symmetry marked by a central window framed with geometric wooden motifs, while the ground sandstones highlight the structure.

This house belonged to Perrinet Leboix, a shoemaker and merchant, at the end of the 15th century. Its location near St Peter's Church and markets (wheat, leathers, shoes) reflects its role in local economic life. Leboix also exercised a right of sale (ban) in the place of the market in wheat (now François-Maugenest), testifying to its social status. The house, typical of affluent artisan homes, combines housing and professional activity.

Partially classified as historical monuments since 1930 (facades and roofs), the Leboix house is a rare preserved example of the medieval town planning of Montluçon. Its protection aims to preserve the original architectural elements, such as corbels, wood sculptures, and the visible structure. Historical sources, including the work of Jean-Pierre Phelouzat and M. des Gozis, confirm its importance in understanding the city's physiognomy at the end of the Middle Ages.

The wood panel structure, characteristic of forest-rich regions such as Bourbonnais, met both practical needs (modularity, rapid construction) and aesthetic requirements. The cross motifs of St Andrew, repeated on both floors, could symbolize a protection or corporate affiliation, although their exact meaning remains debated. The prismatic pinnacles and mouldings of the horn posts, inspired by the flamboyant Gothic, show the influence of religious styles in civil architecture.

Today, Leboix House remains a heritage landmark in the historic centre of Montluçon. Its state of conservation, considered passable (note 5/10 according to the Merimée base), raises questions about the challenges of preserving wood-paned buildings, vulnerable to moisture and xylophagous insects. Despite its registration, no recent restoration projects are mentioned in the available sources.

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