Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Yence House, located in Sainte-Radegonde, is a building whose architectural traces date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. The 1809 cadastre reveals a north-south elongated plan, distinct from its current layout on Parcel 112. The remains of a red sandstone corner chain, visible on the eastern elevation, suggest an old building close to a square tower, corresponding to the plot 12 of the 19th century. The south facade, decorated with Gothic motifs, retains a depressed arched door surmounted by a larman, as well as a smooth shield that probably carried the arms of an owner. The crib windows, supported by crows and ground cords, bear witness to a Renaissance influence mixed with medieval traditions.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the house was occupied by the royal notary, then passed to the Yence family at the end of the 17th century, probably via the alliance of Guillaume Yence with Johanne Bertrand, native of the village. This family of notaries set up its study, which could explain the division of the building into two properties in the early 19th century, as attested by the Napoleonic cadastre. The facade, the only preserved Renaissance element, is characterized by a sandstone cornice decorated with carved modillons (human or animal heads) and ground-framed windows, dating from the late 15th or early 16th century. The interiors, which were largely redesigned, did not retain their original distribution or layout.

The village of Sainte-Radegonde, whose fortified church served as a refuge for peasants in case of alert, was also a market town in time of peace. The Yence House, located on the "city tower", illustrates this dual role: a place of notarial power and a symbol of local prosperity. Its inscription as Historic Monument in 1978 (facade and roof) protects this architectural testimony of the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Occitanie.

External links