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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The house Ganac, located in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, is a historic monument built between the 13th and 16th centuries. It occupies at least two medieval plots, as evidenced by the traces of the cadastral plan of 1823. The western part preserves vestiges prior to the 15th century, including a stone masonry with wooded limestone blocks, as well as three trilobed columnette and lintel windows, typical of the 13th or 14th centuries. These elements suggest a three-storey primitive house, partially deconstructed later.

The façade on the square and the eastern elevation, dating from the late 15th or early 16th century, have half-crosses with ground frames. The arcades of the square, one of which is slightly broken, date back to the 15th century, while the west side arcade, higher, would correspond to the 13th century level. A fire in 1497 ravaged the square, the house was rebuilt on its original plan, with subsequent work campaigns in the 17th and 18th centuries, as evidenced by the triangular front windows and the trompe cabinets.

Villefranche-de-Rouergue, a bastide founded in 1256 by Alphonse de Poitiers, became a prosperous merchant centre. Its urban planning, marked by perpendicular streets and a central square, reflects the principles of medieval bastides. The Ganac House, with its Gothic remains and Renaissance redevelopments, embodies this urban and economic history. The successive protections (registration in 1932, classification in 1996) underline its heritage value, particularly for its covered gallery and facade.

The protected elements include the façade (registered in 1932), as well as the covered gallery, facade and roof (classified in 1996). These measures preserve a major architectural testimony of the transition between the Middle Ages and the modern era in the Rouergue. The house also illustrates local constructive techniques, such as the use of white limestone for mouldings or carved impostes.

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