Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The wooden block house on Paramelle Street occupies a strategic position at the end of an island bounded by two alleys, forming a clear space called pla. This building, whose first two levels are in masonry, has a corbelled floor entirely constructed of wooden panels. The main façade, accessible by a straight staircase leading to the raised ground floor, has notable decorative elements: the lintel of the entrance door is adorned with a braid, while a cross (today partially disappeared) remains on the left. Upstairs, the vestiges of a mulched cross of a tore testify to a careful work, typical of Renaissance civil architecture.

On the south elevation, one day in a brace pierces the ground floor, while the north façade reveals narrow openings chamfered at the ground level and a half-crossed to the throat. The wooden floor, though fragmentary, may retain traces of an old window. The house, dated from the 16th century (with an alternative hypothesis placing it in the second half of the 15th century), was classified Historic Monument by decree of 5 April 1930, protecting its facades and roofs. Its location, between narrow alleys, and its mixed structure (masonry and wood) make it a remarkable specimen of the occitan vernacular heritage.

The building illustrates the constructive techniques of the time, where the wood pan allowed to gain space in overhanging (corbelling) while lightening the structure. The presence of decorative elements such as braces or mouldings suggests an aesthetic will, perhaps linked to the social status of the original owner. The house, though modest in size, reflects the architectural transitions between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in southwestern France.

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