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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of the bailiff of Blesle, built in 1567 as evidence of the inscription on his door, was built to replace the castle of Blesle, then in ruins, and to accommodate the seigneurial justice. It is located at the bottom of a courtyard, accessible by a passage under an earlier house of the first half of the sixteenth century. This passage, with its door and masonry, originally belonged to the same owner as the house of the bailiff until 1842, when it was assigned to the owner of the house on street.

The architecture of the house is distinguished by its frames of doors and windows made of lava stone, as well as by a south-east turret with a conical roof in lauze of gneiss. Inside, the first floor preserves a carved Renaissance window and traces of early seventeenth century painted decorations. Access to this floor is today through an appentis added to the north, the original staircase having disappeared. A barn, whose date of addition remains unknown (perhaps in the eighteenth century), was joined to the house.

The house of the bailliage illustrates the style of the town houses of Blesle, with its corbelled wooden panels facades and interior galleries. It is remarkable for its nailed and carved door, symbol of its judicial role. Classified as a historical monument in 2003, it includes in its protection the gate on the street, the house with its painted decorations, and the house with damping wood. Its history reflects the evolution of the seigneurial and urban organization in Auvergne between the 16th and 17th centuries.

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