Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The sacristy of the Pézenas White Penitents is in fact a civilian residence of the late Middle Ages, built between the 15th and 16th centuries. Its architecture blends late Gothic and reborn elements, as evidenced by its braided windows, prismatic bases and right-angle cross-cut rods. The screw staircase, accessible from a courtyard, has a low arch cover topped by a gable in a braid and a pinacle, while openworked quadrilobic galleries connect the house body to the staircase. These features make it an early prototype of the open stairs, where the cage wall is replaced by a large arch on the courtyard side.

The courtyard facades reveal hybrid architectural elements, with superimposed loggias and a torso column supporting the roof at the last level. A merlon, vestige of a symbolic crenelage, underscores the prestige of the owner. Although contiguous to the chapel of the White Penitents in the 17th century – bearing its present name – this construction was initially a private residence. Its large arch in basket cove on the ground floor signalled a lodge today disappeared, designed to expand the space of the courtyard.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1944 for its vaulted vestibule, courtyard façades and staircase, the building preserves traces of the transition between the flamboyant Gothic and the Renaissance. The presence of bastard windows (half cross) and monolithy lintels loaded with accolades illustrates this pivotal period. Its location at 2 rue des Chevaliers-Saint-Jean, in the historic centre of Pézenas, reinforces its heritage interest, despite an approximate GPS location (accuracy noted 5/10).

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