Bastide Foundation 1256 (≈ 1256)
Created by Alphonse de Poitiers on the edge of the Aveyron.
1302
Head office
Head office 1302 (≈ 1302)
The city becomes a major religious centre.
1463
Right to strike currency
Right to strike currency 1463 (≈ 1463)
Privilege granted to the senes floor of the Rouergue.
1744-1752
Levelling and adjustments
Levelling and adjustments 1744-1752 (≈ 1748)
Transformation into a terrace with stairs and balustrade.
1844
Installation of the cast iron cross
Installation of the cast iron cross 1844 (≈ 1844)
Addition dominating existing balustrade.
1996
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 1996 (≈ 1996)
Protection of the floor, galleries and facades.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Ground of the square with the cross and the balustrade (not cadastral); covered galleries, including receding facades; facades and roofs of all buildings bordering the square, including their right-of-way to the ground; Lateral façades of the buildings placed at the angles and located above the covered galleries (Box AS 199 to 201, 208, 400 to 405, 541; AT 28, 29, 35 to 37, 490, 100, 101): classification by order of 31 October 1996
Key figures
Alphonse de Poitiers - Founder of the bastide
Crée Villefranche-de-Rouergue in 1256.
Darribat de Salvagnac - Judge
He opposed the destruction of the hall in 1744.
Origin and history
The Place Notre-Dame de Villefranche-de-Rouergue is the nerve center of this bastide founded in 1256 by Alphonse de Poitiers, on the banks of the Aveyron. As early as 1302, it housed an archpriest, confirming its religious and economic role. The city, prosperous thanks to its merchants, obtained in 1463 the right to strike royal currency, a rare privilege. Unlike the classical bastides, its church encroaches on the square, whose losangé layout is underlined by arcades joining at the corners. A natural gradient originally marked the site, with a elevation of 80 cm between the north and the collegiate threshold.
In the 18th century, the city's consuls launched an ambitious levelling project to modernize space. In 1744, the municipal council decided to destroy the hall and public weights, despite the opposition of Judge Darribat of Salvagnac. The works, approved in 1747, reused stones from the old ramparts (the Guiraudet and Savignac towers) and transformed the square into a paved terrace, accessible by two symmetrical stairs. An element carved in 1752, still visible, commemorates these developments. The limestone balustrade, adorned with 70 balusters, and the cast iron cross added in 1844 complete the whole structure.
Recent restorations preserved this heritage: replacement of the pavement in 2013, reproduction of the town coat of arms in pebbles, and condemnation of the public toilets of the 20th century under the terrace. The square, classified as a Historic Monument in 1996, illustrates the urban evolution of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, from medieval origins to the beautifications of the Enlightenment. Its floor, covered galleries and facades of border buildings are protected, reflecting its unique architectural unit.
The central stone of the staircase, broken by time, bears engraved inscriptions reminiscent of the works of the eighteenth century. These details, such as the pebbly patterns or the damaged and then replaced balusters, reveal a material history where each element tells a phase of the life of the square. Today, this emblematic place combines public, commercial and heritage functions, perpetuating its role as a beating heart of the bastide.
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