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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Pierre Delfau's house, located at 20 rue de la Bourse in Toulouse, is a mansion built between 1493 and 1497 for the pastel merchant Pierre Delfau. The latter, aspired to become capitoul (Toulousan magistrate), erected a home reflecting his social ambition, with noble architectural details as an empty shield for future coats of arms. The hotel, typical of Toulouse Gothic mansions, retains its original shop, vaulted and decorated with angel sculptures. The inner courtyard, conceived as a courtyard of honour, combines 15th century crucifixed windows and 17th century galleries.

The history of the house is marked by a succession of influential owners: after the death of Pierre Delfau in 1507 she passed to his son Jean, then to merchants, bankers and councillors in Parliament, like François de Papus in 1618. In the 17th century, the façade was remodeled with late Renaissance elements, while the 22-metre heptagonal tower, with a 84-step staircase, remained a remarkable Gothic vestige. The gate of the tower, surmounted by an empty niche and a shield supported by angels, bears witness to the merchant status of its first owners.

Ranked a historic monument in 1925, the house escapes the destructions of the 19th century, as the widening of the street of the Stock Exchange. In the 20th century, it was restored (notably in 2001) and since 1999 has been home to a pastel-dyed clothing shop, perpetuating its link with commerce. The Orientalist Edward Dulaurier would have lived there, adding an intellectual dimension to his history. The gothic vaults of the shop, the crucifixed windows and the stairway tower make this a unique testimony of the Toulouse civil architecture of the late Middle Ages.

Historical sources, such as Jules Chalande's (1919) or Rémi Papillault (1996), highlight its heritage importance. The hotel also illustrates the urban transformations of Toulouse, between fire of 1463 (which razed the land before its construction), commercial ambition and architectural adaptations to the tastes of the following centuries. Today, it embodies the transition between the flamboyant Gothic and the Renaissance in southwestern France.

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