Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The house in Billom, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, is a typical example of civil architecture of this period. Built of dark-cut stone for walls and for frames and stairs, it is distinguished by an inner courtyard accessible from the street via a vaulted corridor. This courtyard houses a staircase leading to two superimposed galleries, decorated with balustrades and Tuscan columns, reflecting the influence of Renaissance and classical styles.

Interior retains 18th century decorative elements such as stucco, woodwork and ceilings, although the house was transformed into a building in the 20th century. The gallery stairwell, open to the courtyard, is a major architectural element, protected by a decree of inscription in 1963. In spite of subsequent transformations, the exterior has been changed little, thus preserving its historical character.

The house illustrates the evolution of urban dwellings between the 16th and 18th centuries, combining local materials such as l Its plan, organised around an inner courtyard, bears witness to a desire for symmetry and functionality, characteristic of bourgeois or craft houses of the time in Auvergne. Opened galleries, supported by columns or fins, add an aesthetic and practical dimension, facilitating movement between floors.

Although its initial use is not specified in the sources, the presence of 18th-century interior decorations suggests occupation by wealthy families or prosperous artisans. The transformation into a building in the 20th century marks an adaptation to modern needs, while maintaining significant traces of its past. Today, this house remains an architectural testimony of Billom's social and economic dynamics in modern and contemporary times.

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