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Origin and history

The Maison Droit, located in Cadaujac en Gironde, is an iconic 18th-century residence, representative of the wineries that marked the banks of the Garonne. Its architecture, with a noble facade facing the river, reflects the importance of river navigation for the landowners of the time. The access by the Garonne, attested by an old arm today filled, underlines its role in local trade and commerce.

The house, rectangular, includes a basement floor, an elevated ground floor and a first floor. The central span of the main façade, lightly protruded and capped by a triangular pediment, opens with a full arched door preceded by a porch. This staircase with two parallel climbs, as well as the south facade with a staircase with different climbs, illustrate the care given to the symmetry and classical aesthetics of the time.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1988, the Maison Droit embodies the architectural heritage linked to the economic boom of Bordeaux in the 18th century, marked by trade with the islands and wine-growing expansion. The dependencies, added later to the west, bear witness to the changing needs and uses of property over the centuries.

Cadaujac, where the house is located, was then a place of passage for the pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela, as evidenced by a historical terminal located nearby. This pillar, decorated with shells and a bumblebee, recalls that the estate was a possession of the chapter of Saint-André de Bordeaux, thus strengthening the link between religious and architectural heritage.

The local historical context, marked by a flourishing wine economy and active navigation on the Garonne River, has favoured the construction of such houses. The Maison Droit is thus part of a landscape where the riparian properties served both as secondary residences for Bordeaux traders and as farm centres, especially wine-growing.

Today, the Maison Droit remains a valuable testimony of this time, when architecture, economics and geography combined to shape the girondin heritage. Its inscription in the title of Historical Monuments in 1988 preserved this historic place, while highlighting its role in local and regional history.

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