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Origin and history

The Maison du Pilier-Rouge is a historic monument located in the town of Le Mans, Sarthe (Land of the Loire). It consists of a set of houses made of wood, initially distinct and built at different times, mainly in the 15th and 16th centuries. The most remarkable building, located at the corner of the Grande-Rue and Rue du Pilier-Rouge, rests on a column painted in red, dated the first half of the sixteenth century. This column, known as the Red Pillar, gives its name to the house and constitutes one of its most prominent architectural elements.

The House of the Red Pillar has been the subject of successive protections under the Historical Monuments. The corner column was classified by order of 29 September 1928, while the whole house, including the remains of a missing gable and the floors of the court, was inscribed by order of 12 October 1994. Today, the building belongs to the municipality of Le Mans. Its wood-pan architecture bears witness to medieval and Renaissance construction techniques, typical of the urban centres of western France.

Although the sources do not specify its original use, this type of half-timbered house was often intended for commercial or artisanal activities on the ground floor, with housing on the floor. The location of the Maison du Pilier-Rouge in a central street in Le Mans suggests its importance in the economic and social life of the city in the 15th and 16th centuries.

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