Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house located at 5 rue Jules-Migonney in Bourg-en-Bresse, in the department of Ain, is an emblematic building of the 15th century. It is distinguished by its wooden structure, with protruding beams and a double corbellation, as well as pink brick hounds. The facade, without columnettes, has wooden panels forming large regular checkers on the first floor, while the second floor has a less geometric design. The skylights, high and covered in a building, align with the aplomb of the floors. At the left corner of the street, a stone pillar with crow supports a longitudinal beam, serving as a lintel to a showcase. The whole reflects the medieval constructive techniques adapted to the commercial and residential needs of the time.

The facades, roofs and stone screw staircase of this house were inscribed under the title of Historic Monuments by order of 3 October 1983. This staircase, typical of bourgeois civil architecture of the 15th century, bears witness to the importance attached to vertical circulation in urban dwellings of this period. The courtyard of the Jacobins, accessible from the street, reveals walls made of stones and Savoyard bricks, with openings altered over the centuries. The first floor snout windows and stone windows recall the evolution of architectural styles, between functionality and decoration. The lack of complete restoration on certain parts, such as the neighbouring house in corbellation, offers an authentic overview of the urban transformations in Bourg-en-Bresse.

The location of this house, in the historic centre of Bourg-en-Bresse, then capital of the Bresse under the influence of the Dukes of Savoy, underlines its role in the economic and social fabric of the city. The windows on the ground floor, partially preserved or being restored, evoke an ancient commercial vocation, perhaps linked to the flourishing exchanges of the region. The materials used, such as pink bricks and pebbles, are characteristic of local resources and exchanges with the neighbouring Savoy. The inscription in the title of the Historical Monuments guarantees the preservation of this rare example of medieval civil architecture, while allowing to study construction techniques and urban lifestyles of the 15th century in Bresse.

External links