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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Pomairols House is a remarkable example of 17th-century civil architecture, located in the Place Notre-Dame de Villefranche-de-Rouergue. It is distinguished by its ground floor with a shop opening onto the arcades, two floors with rectangular bays with loose lintels, and a fourth floor adorned with two square scallops worn by crows. The interior chimneys, one of which preserves a polychrome decoration and the datable coat of arms of the mid-17th century, testify to the social status of its occupants.

The bastide of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, founded in 1256 by Alphonse de Poitiers, was organized according to a typical orthogonal plan, with a central place reserved for commercial activities. After the fire of 1497, the houses were rebuilt according to the original layout, explaining the absence of vestiges prior to the sixteenth century. The house Pomairols, although partially rebuilt in the seventeenth century, incorporates older elements such as the 15th century broken arch arcades, reflecting the architectural evolution of the square.

Ranked a Historic Monument, the house was the subject of two successive protections: its façade and roof in 1943, and its covered gallery in 1996. These measures underscore its heritage value, linked to the golden age of the bastide as a prosperous commercial city, notably after obtaining the right to strike royal currency in 1463. The interior fittings, such as 18th-century woodwork, illustrate the subsequent adaptations of the building.

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