Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of the knight of the Huttes, located in Vic-sur-Cère in the Cantal, is a hybrid building between mansion and urban hotel, built or rebuilt in the 16th century. This building is distinguished by its two-storey, oblong house body, a central polygonal stair tower, and a corbelled scald at the southwest corner, carried by five ground crows. The less ancient northern facade is joined to modern constructions, while the lauze and dormant roofs date back to the 19th century. The name Castelsoutro (bottom castle) differentiates it from Castelvielh (top castle), historic seat of the court d'apeaux de Vic, become sedentary under Francis I.

The monument is linked to the local judicial history: it houses the jurisdiction d'appeaus when it settles in Vic, after the Viscounty of Carlat – inherited by François I of his mother Louise de Savoie – became royal. Jehan de Cardaillac, vice-baillier and judge of Carlat, is associated with this transition period. The house then passed into the hands of influential families, such as the Teilhards (Guillaume and Jehan), then the Pagès des Huttes, whose king's guard Jérôme died in 1789 defending Marie-Antoinette. In the 19th century, it belonged to Marie Latapi de Balaguier, wife of Joseph de La Garde de Saignes.

The building preserves remarkable architectural elements, including sheltered sill windows, panelling and interior chimneys, as well as a 1698 gate. Although partially redesigned (including the western turret and the tower gate), it illustrates the evolution of noble residences between Renaissance and modern times. Ranked Historic Monument in 1990, however, it is not open to visit.

The house also embodies the social transformations of Vic-sur-Cère, strategic village of Cantal. Its architecture reflects the status of its owners – royal officers, local nobles or bourgeois anoblis – while integrating practical arrangements (contiguous modern buildings). The presence of lauze, a volcanic stone typical of the region, and the Toulouse influences (via the Pages) highlight the links between Auvergne and Languedoc.

Note: the site should not be confused with the house of the bailliage (1620), located church square, nor with the Castelvielh, castral motte overlooking the city. The sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) emphasize its role as lord's house and symbol of the royal judiciary in Haute-Auvergne.

External links