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Key figures

Origin and history

The house at 2 rue des Serruriers in Montluçon is a bourgeois and merchant building built in the 15th century. It belonged to the Bridier family, the city's influential butcher merchants, and was close to the big butcher shop, the local economic heart. Its courtyard, surrounded by walls, opened on the current Place François-Maugenest, where the main markets were held.

The house, typical of late Middle Ages wood-paned architecture, has a first floor in corbellation supported by cornel posts. On the ground floor, traces of an old shop recall its commercial use. In the 18th century, it was occupied by families of notables, such as the Urban des Testards or the Guérin de la Genebrière, reflecting its high social status.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1929 for its facade and roof, this house illustrates the urban evolution of Montluçon, between medieval merchant activity and provincial nobility of the Lights. Its successive owners, butchers and notables, bear witness to the economic and social dynamics of the city over the centuries.

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