House known as the Princes of Monaco dans le Cantal

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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The House of the Princes of Monaco, located in Vic-sur-Cère in the Cantal, is an urban mansion dating from the 15th century. This building, built in volcanic breaches, features a characteristic architecture of the late Middle Ages, with a tower with a screw adorned with a flamboyant Gothic tympanum. It was incorporated into the possessions of the princes of Monaco in 1643, when Carlat's Viscount was erected in Carladez County for them. Although modest for princes, he served as a dwelling for officers or magistrates representing the Grimaldi and housed the provost audience and its archives.

The manor house, whose plot initially extended over several adjacent houses and gardens, was sold as a national property in 1792 to Jean Revel, attorney of the bailliage of Vic. Its architecture reveals changes in the 17th century, including modified windows and the addition of a housing body. The staircase tower, classified in 1921, and the wings of the building, inscribed in 1934, bear witness to its heritage importance. A room on the first floor, with its fireplace and panelling, was also protected in 1990.

The tympanum of the access door, carved from a mutilated annunciade, allows to date the construction between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, period after the confiscation of the Viscounty by Louis XI. This mansion illustrates the political and judicial history of the region, marked by rivalries between the Armagnac, the Bourbon and the Grimaldi. Today, although not physically visitable, a virtual tour allows you to discover its volcanic breach staircase and its history.

The building is located in a historical context where the Viscounty of Carlat, dismembered in 1643, lost some of its powers to the princes of Monaco. This mansion, though rustic, played a key role in local administration, reflecting the political and territorial transformations of the Auvergne in modern times. Its architecture, combining Gothic elements and subsequent modifications, makes it a valuable testimony of this pivotal period.

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