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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Monpazier's house is part of a remarkable medieval architectural complex, built in 1284 by order of Jean de Graville, Sénéchal de Guyenne. The central square, surrounded by covered galleries, was initially composed of 22 corneal buildings on the north and south sides, and six on the east and west sides. Today, only 17 of these buildings remain, reflecting the planned urban planning typical of the southwestern bastides.

The facade and covered gallery of this house were classified as Historic Monument by decree of 21 December 1904. This classification protects a key element of the built heritage of Monpazier, a city founded as a 13th century bastide to structure settlement and commerce in the region. The covered galleries, characteristic of medieval squares, served both as shelter for merchants and as a place of sociability for the inhabitants.

Monpazier, located in Dordogne (former Aquitaine, now New Aquitaine), illustrates the urban organisation of the bastides, designed according to an orthogonal plan around a central square. These new cities, created in the 12th and 13th centuries, were designed to attract people through tax advantages and rational organization of space, thereby promoting economic exchanges and collective security.

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