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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

La Maison Reveillelac is a house in the town of Fons, in the Lot department (Occitanie). Its history dates back to 1618, the date of its initial construction by Pierre Reveillelac, royal notary of Fons, as evidenced by an inscription that disappeared in the 20th century. This first house, centered around a kitchen room on the first floor and a corbelling cabinet, formed the heart of an agricultural estate. Pierre Reveillelac died during the plague epidemic that struck the Quercy in 1628, leaving the house as the only trace of its passage.

In the 4th quarter of the 18th century, the house was profoundly renovated to magnify its southern facade. Two forebodys framing an arcade gallery were added, connected by an external staircase. The inscriptions "FET PAR PIERRE METRORIBILLA 1783", engraved on a lintel and the keys of the arches, attest to these transformations. The extensions also included two side halls surmounted by dovecotes, typical of the Quercy farms. Only the fireplace, a remarkable element, was classified as a Historical Monument by order of 3 August 1938.

Architecturally, the house combines bellows and local stone, reflecting the rural constructive techniques of the period. Its spatial organization — an ancient central body and symmetrical additions — reveals an adaptation to agricultural and residential needs over nearly two centuries. The adjoining buildings (granges, hangar, cazelle) complete this set, a witness of peasant life in Quercy in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Historical sources, including the work of Catherine Didon (1996), highlight her role as a model for farm homes in Lotaise. Today, the Maison Reveillelac remains a preserved example of Occitan rural habitat, between late medieval heritage and beautifications of the Enlightenment.

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