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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The house at 1 rue Sainte-Cécile, at the corner of Rue Mariès in Albi, is a 17th century historical monument. It was the first home of the Reynes family, Albi's fourth fortune, enriched by the pastel trade. This building, originally integrated into a set of houses adjacent to the Saint-Salvy chapter, was partially rebuilt after the sale of shops by the chapter in 1364, which retained access to the upper floors for its religious needs.

The house has two distinct facades: the one on Rue Sainte-Cécile, made of brick and stone, has five levels with framed windows and stone rings for the first three floors. The rear façade, visible from the Saint-Salvy square, is half-timbered with a marked corbellation between the first and second floors. The upper floor has an openwork gallery with curved posts and leggings.

The building was listed as historic monuments on June 9, 1971 for its facades and roofs. Its neo-classical style and its location near the Cathedral of Sainte-Cécile make it an architectural witness to the urban transformations of Albi, especially after the restructurings of the 19th century inspired by the plans of engineer Jean-François Mariès (1758-1851). These works, between 1868 and 1880, lost sight of the house from Place Sainte-Cécile, formerly called Place de la Pile.

The ground floor, dedicated to commerce, reflects the historical economic activity of the city, while the upper floors recall the close links between religious power (the Saint-Salvy chapter) and trading elites like the Reynes. The house thus illustrates the duality between public commercial space and private residential or religious space in the Albi of Ancien Régime.

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