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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The House of the Three Hanged, located in Crémieu, is a historical monument whose facade features distinctive medieval architecture. The ground floor preserves a series of capital pillars decorated with coiled motifs, supporting a wooden beam, vestige of an old portico housing shops. These elements, typical of the urban constructions of the Middle Ages, underline its central role in the economic life of the city. Upstairs, five bays, including a set of three twin windows, adorned with a trilobed arch (the so-called "Three Pendus Window"), as well as chamfered windows, illustrate a neat architecture, partially redesigned in the 16th century.

In the 13th century, this residence was probably the main house of the city, belonging to dolphins and overlooking the main axis of Cremieu, the present street of the Old Market. Its historic importance is reinforced by its entrance opening onto a winding corridor, perhaps an old street, and by a stone fireplace with a right coat, typical of medieval interiors. Over the centuries, the house has experienced divisions: in 1826 it was divided between three owners (Jean Bonnaire, Joseph Hippolithe Roux and Ennemond Fréchet), before being restored in 1934 to regain its unity.

The façade, classified as a Historic Monument in 1926, is now owned by the municipality. Its name, "of the three hanged", comes from the iconic trilobed window, although its exact origin remains mysterious. The ground dustfalls of this window and the reshuffles of the 16th and 19th centuries testify to a continuous occupation and architectural adaptations over the years. The restoration of 1934 preserved this heritage, a symbol of Cremieu's urban and seigneurial history.

The building also reflects the social and economic transformations of the region, moving from a seigneurial residence to a communal good, while preserving traces of its medieval commercial use. Its present state, combining Gothic elements and subsequent modifications, makes it a rare example of Dauphinian civil architecture, marked by the influence of dolphins and the evolution of the city.

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