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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The house of Saint-Astier, located in Périgueux in Dordogne, is a 16th century building integrated into the preserved area of the city centre. Today, it is home to the Saint-Front private primary school, but its history dates back to the 13th century, when it served as a hospital for the vigier of the chapter of Saint-Front, an officer charged with rendering civil justice on behalf of the canons. This seigneurial house, rectangular, was then a symbol of the judicial power of the Abbey in the Puy-Saint-Front district, in rivalry with consular justice.

In the 13th century, the house, called the Vigier House, was a strategic place near Place de la Clautre, between the Aubergerie and Neuve streets. It included a prison and a pillory, and its ground floor was opened on the street by two oculus gates. The charge of vigier, hereditary, was transmitted within families such as Vigier or Lachapelle. Conflicts with the Consulate led in 1290 to a division of powers: the vigil managed civil cases, while the Consulate handled criminal cases.

The present house, rebuilt in the 16th century, preserves medieval elements, like blocked windows of the 15th century. Its Renaissance staircase, classified as a historical monument since 1923, is an architectural masterpiece: it organizes around an irregular central day, with superimposed columns, crawling arches and carved box bearings. The facades and roofs were classified in 1938, highlighting the heritage value of this building combining medieval and Renaissance heritage.

Archaeological and textual sources, such as the works of Arlette Higounet-Nadal or the 13th century registers, allow the house to be located precisely at the corner of the streets of Calvaire and Saint-Roch. Its evolution reflects the urban transformations of Périgueux, between ecclesiastical power, seigneurial justice and adaptation to modern needs, as its current use by the Saint Joseph school.

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