First mention in the charters 1168 (≈ 1168)
Written attestation of the medieval farmhouse
1678
Date on main body
Date on main body 1678 (≈ 1678)
Construction or major renovation
1691
Full arched door dated
Full arched door dated 1691 (≈ 1691)
Main entrance adorned
1737
Date on the east door
Date on the east door 1737 (≈ 1737)
Expansion of the 18th century
1er août 1988
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 1er août 1988 (≈ 1988)
Official Heritage Protection
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Mas de Crémadells (Case B 85): entry by order of 1 August 1988
Key figures
Information non disponible - No characters cited in the sources
Historical sources silent on owners
Origin and history
The mas de Crémadells, located in Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans in the Pyrénées-Orientales, was mentioned as early as 1168 in medieval charters, but its main building body was dated 1678. This historic monument, rectangular to one floor, is flanked by a square tower to the west and opens onto a terrace at noon. Its facades, crowned with painted genoese, offer an exceptional decoration dating from the late seventeenth century: animal, geometric, religious and plant motifs, made with lime milk on rows of alternating tiles.
During the French Revolution, the mas was sold as a national good. Its main façade, adorned with a full arched door dated 1691, recalls Romanesque influences. The tower, contained in cylindrical schauguettes, and the wrought iron Catalan grilles on the first floor, decorated with animal motifs, illustrate the local craftsmanship. In the 18th century, a lower secondary building was joined to the east, with a door dated 1737.
Inside, the hall on the ground floor is paved with a calade with geometric motifs, typical of Catalan rural architecture. The building, inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1988, embodies both the architectural evolution of the language mas and their integration into the historical and cultural landscape of Occitanie.
The painted decorations of the Genoese, unique by their iconographic diversity, offer a rare testimony of the popular artistic practices of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These elements, combined with the defensive structure of the tower, suggest a dual vocation, both agricultural and symbolic, reflecting the social status of its owners throughout the eras.
The location of the farmhouse, in a territory marked by cross-border exchanges between Catalonia and Languedoc, makes it a representative example of Occitan rural architecture. Its inscription in the title of Historic Monuments underscores its heritage value, both for its building and its decorations, which constitute a major artistic and ethnographic heritage.
