Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building at 9 rue Grégoire-de-Tours in Clermont-Ferrand dates from the first half of the 18th century. It is distinguished by an entrance gate on the ground floor, framed by pilasters and surmounted by a lintel slightly in low arch. This portal, which has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1987, is adorned with carved woodwork, including two solid vantals divided into panels and a fixed top panel. A curved moulding, decorated with florets and rinceaux, highlights the base of this panel, while a central shell, supported by a staple and surrounded by gills, crowns the whole.

The richness of the portal sculptures, combining plant motifs and architectural elements, illustrates the influence of the Regency or Louis XV style in the region. Although the sources do not specify the identity of the sponsor or the artisan, this type of decoration reflects the taste of the clermontian elites of the time for the adorned facades, thus marking their social status. The building, now protected for its portal, bears witness to the urban evolution of Clermont-Ferrand in the Enlightenment century, where civil architecture is adorned with artistic elements formerly reserved for religious or aristocratic buildings.

The location of the building, in a street in the historic centre, suggests its integration into an area probably frequented by the bourgeoisie or the wealthy craftsmen. The available data do not mention specific use (housing, commerce, institution), but the quality of woodwork suggests a prestigious destination. The registration of the Historical Monuments in 1987 preserved this rare example of a civil portal carved in Auvergne, often more discreet in terms of secular architectural heritage than other French regions.

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