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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The forges master's house of Strausans, located in the Jura, was built between 1822 and 1825 at the place called the Rocher du Cheval blanc (now Sur le Mont). Destined to Théodore Caron, master of forges with his brother François, this employer's home was part of a major metallurgical ensemble. Its architecture includes a large staircase decorated with mythological paintings and an annex building, the Orangerie, bringing together greenhouses and outbuildings.

Acquired in 1848 by Abbé Vermot, the property was transformed into a retirement home for priests. In 1858, the Société des Hauts Fourneaux, Fonderies et Forges de Franche-Comté bought it back for a boys' school, a schoolhouse and the town hall. The presbytery, added to the east in 1867, completes all, sold to the commune in 1868. Since 1982, its facades, roofs and decorated staircases have been listed as historical monuments.

Today, the house houses the town hall and apartments, while the former presbytery is a private home. Its history reflects the industrial and social changes in the region, from an economic role (masters of forges) to religious, educational and administrative functions. The building also illustrates the adaptation of the heritage to contemporary uses, while preserving remarkable architectural elements such as the mythological paintings of the ceiling.

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