Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Pézenas building, built between the end of the 15th century and the first quarter of the 17th century, has a facade and entrance door redesigned in the 19th century, devoid of significant architectural character. Only shop arches with lateral stone vices, visible from the street, recall its ancient commercial use. The most remarkable element lies in the corridor of access to the courtyard, vaulted with three doggie spans whose veins fall on carved caps, one of which represents a fantastic animal. These vaults, combined with blade doors with lintel adorned with accolades, suggest partial reuse of older elements, although their precise dating remains uncertain.

The central staircase, the centrepiece of the building, is organized around an ionic or doric column resting on a square penbate. It opens onto the courtyard by four levels of arches in basket cove, with salient keys, and combines straight and rotating flights around a deciphered wall. The loggia on courtyard, composed of four architectural superpositions, illustrates a transition between late Gothic and Renaissance. The vestibule, vaulted with doghead crosses falling back on lamp-ends, dates from the late 15th or early 16th century, marking a pivotal period in the history of the building.

Between 1615 and 1645, probably in the first quarter of the 17th century, Pierre de Ribes, squire and seigneur of Lézignan, enlarged the building by acquiring a house adjacent to its courtyard. This extension, motivated by the ambition to create a private hotel, is part of a period of transformation of the building, then owned by a local noble family. The building then passes to his brother Louis de Ribes, then to Victor-Étienne de Ribes, Abbé de Lézignan, perpetuating his status as an aristocratic residence. The elements protected since 1933 — the staircase with its 16th century gallery and vaulted vestibule — underline the heritage value of this hybrid architectural ensemble.

The location of the building at 9 bis rue Triperie-Veille, in a historical area of Pézenas, reflects its integration into the medieval urban fabric. Although there are gaps in the literature on certain construction phases, the building remains a significant example of the evolution of civilian homes between the Middle Ages and the modern era, combining residential, commercial and symbolic functions. Its partial classification as Historic Monument in 1933 attests to its importance for regional heritage.

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