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Origin and history

The so-called "Évêques" house was built in the 14th century in Puissalicon, in the enclosure of the village of L'Herault. Its architecture recalls the Avignonnais liveries, urban residences of the cardinals during the papacy of Avignon. The large hall (aula) and the frame, dated by dendrochronology between 1076 and 1322 (with uncertainty due to the absence of separate sapwood), suggest a construction linked to the influence of local noble families, such as the Jugie, close to Pope Clement VI.

The history of the building remains partly enigmatic: no archival document confirms its sponsor, although the local tradition attributes it to the archbishops of Narbonne. Among the hypotheses, Guillaume de la Broue (archbishop from 1245 to 1257, native of Puissalicon) or the brothers Pierre and Hugues de La Jugie (archbishop of Narbonne and bishop of Béziers/Carcassonne in the 14th century) are mentioned. Their family, enriched by Clement VI, could have financed this home, close to the Avignon architectural standards.

Used as an agricultural building until its acquisition in 2021 by a Swedish couple, the house was subjected to an archaeological diagnosis by the Inrap in 2023, culminating in its inscription in the Historical Monuments on 23 September 2024. The facade, combining Renaissance and late Gothic elements, as well as a medieval well, are now protected. His recent study revives the hypothesis of a livery linked to the Pontifical Court of Avignon, rare example in Languedoc.

The house illustrates the links between Comtat Venaissin (papal land) and Biterrois, as well as the role of ecclesiastical elites in medieval civil architecture. Its recent rescue contrasts with its agricultural past, marked by opposition from its former owners to any heritage protection before 2021.

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