Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The houses of the Place de la Mairie in Dunes, located in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne in the Occitanie region, date from the 15th century. These wooden and brick buildings retained their primitive character, including their arcades and covered, typical of local medieval architecture. They bear witness to the traditional urban planning of the Gascon bastides, where these structures served both as shelter for merchants and as a community gathering place.

The municipality of Dunes, formerly attached to the Lot-et-Garonne, was incorporated into the Tarn-et-Garonne by Napoleon I in 1808. This rural village, marked by its tragic history during the Second World War (massacre of 1944), is part of the landscape of Lomagne, an ancient gascony vicomte nicknamed the 'French Tuscan'. The houses of Place de la Mairie, classified as Historic Monument in 1950, symbolize this preserved architectural heritage.

The square itself, now known as Martyrs' Square in memory of the events of 1944, is surrounded by horns and shops. It also houses a historic well facing the town hall, strengthening its central role in the social and economic life of the village for centuries. These architectural elements reflect the evolution of an Occitan rural village, between medieval heritage and contemporary memory.

The geographical context of Dunes, near Agen and in the Garonne valley, has facilitated its development as a place of passage and exchange. The covered houses, with their protected facades, illustrated this historical commercial function. Their preservation today offers a tangible testimony to the spatial organization of the Gascon villages in the Middle Ages.

The listing of these houses as Historic Monuments in 1950 underscores their heritage value. Their wood panel structure, combined with the use of bricks, reflects local construction techniques adapted to the available resources. These buildings are a rare preserved example of medieval civil architecture in this region.

The Occitanie region, and especially the Tarn-et-Garonne, has many villages with similar architectural riches. However, Dunes' houses are distinguished by their state of conservation and integration into a lively public space, thus perpetuating their original social function while becoming a symbol of collective memory.

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