Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The House of Hebrardia, located on Central Street in Cajarc (Lot, Occitanie), is one of the few remains of the ancient palace of the Hebrard family of Saint Sulpice, local lords. This rectangular two-storey building, raised on the basement, would have served as a gallery linking buildings that have now disappeared. Its facades retain characteristic windows: four trilobes on the first floor and three 13th-century geminates on the ground floor, while the street façade has two geminous windows on the first floor.

The palace, abandoned in the 18th century, was partly dismantled to serve as a stone quarry. However, there remains a vaulted pantry in a broken cradle, extended under the courtyard and reinforced by double arches, as well as a similar vaulted cellar under the building. These architectural elements bear witness to the past importance of the site, linked to a noble family of which several members were bishops, such as Aymeric Hebrard of Saint Sulpice (Bishop of Coimbra, 1279–995) or Antoine Hebrard (Bishop of Cahors, 1577–1600).

The windows of the courtyard façade, remarkable for their medieval style, were classified as historical monuments on 6 March 1924. This classification underscores the heritage value of this vestige, the last witness of a seigneurial and episcopal ensemble that has now disappeared. The house thus illustrates the feudal and religious history of the region, marked by the influence of the local noble families.

Access to the basement is through a broken arched door overlooking the street, leading to the cellar and cellar. These spaces, typical of medieval civil architecture, reveal sophisticated construction techniques for the era, such as cradle vaults and double arches. The current location at 7 rue du Château confirms its anchoring in the historic heart of Cajarc.

Although partially destroyed, the building offers an overview of the spatial organization of the medieval seigneurial palaces, where the spaces of representation (galleries, open windows) coexisted with utility areas (cells, cellars). Its current state reflects the transformations experienced over the centuries, between reuse of materials and partial preservation of its architectural heritage.

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