A peak of harvesters XIIIe-XIVe siècles (≈ 1450)
Construction linked to the medieval wine boom.
Juin 2024
Historical Monument
Historical Monument Juin 2024 (≈ 2024)
Registration by ministerial decree.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The following parts of the harvest houses known as Martigny and Abbé Vitu, located on Rue de l'Eglise: the two harvest houses, facades and roofs, all levels of cellars under the two housing units, ground floor of the two housing units, corridor paved with bricks on chant, dining rooms and living room with their 19th century decor, outbuilding on street, facades and roofs, garden with cave, courtyard, fence walls, gate between courtyard and garden, shown in cadastre section C parcels 80 and 680, as delimited on the plan annexed to the decree: inscription by order of 11 June 2024
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
Sources do not mention a linked historical figure.
Origin and history
The "La Grand Maison" is an emblematic building in the region of Laon, in Aisne (Hauts-de-France). These buildings, characteristic of the 13th and 14th centuries, illustrated the rise of medieval viticulture on the slopes of Laonnois, then under episcopal influence. Their utilitarian architecture, in local limestone, reflected a social organization centered on harvests, with spaces dedicated to storage, grape processing and seasonal accommodation of winemakers.
Harvesting plants decline from the lower Middle Ages, victims of climate crises, wars and epidemics that weaken wine production. Yet these buildings survive as markers of rural heritage. The Grand House, registered to the Historical Monuments in June 2024, preserves original elements: ground floor semi-entered, vaulted cellars for the aging of the wine, and outbuildings ( stable, stake). Its architecture combines functionality — small windows for ventilation, tile roofs — and rare carved decorations evoking the economic importance of the vineyard.
Today, this grape harvest embodies the winemaking memory of Laonnois. Although its primary function has disappeared, its preservation allows to study medieval techniques and attract an audience interested in rural heritage. The site, partially open, includes protected elements such as facades, roofs, cellars, and a garden with wells and waterworks. Its inscription in 2024 is part of a dynamic of valuing local harvesters, alongside other examples classified as those of Orgeval or Vorges.
The building is part of a network of similar monuments, often converted into residences or cultural places. In Presles-et-Thierny, he met two other classified grape harvesters (Martigny and Abbé Vitu), highlighting the historical density of this terroir. Written sources, such as the works of Maxime de Sars (1934), document their role in the seigneurial and peasant economy, where the vineyard occupied a central place before its gradual decline.
