Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of the Pâtissier, also called the house Francony or Tenant, is located in Périgueux, Dordogne (New Aquitaine). Although often associated with the 14th century, sources indicate a major construction or modification in the 15th century, with architectural traces of this period. The Renaissance Gate, dated 1518 by its lintel ("DOMUS CONSTRUCTIO ANN Dni 1.S.1.8"), marks a significant modernization. The building also preserves a window of Louis XII era, bearing witness to subsequent transformations.

The house is linked to several historical figures: Cardinal Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord (XIVth century), supposed to have resided there, and the Comtal family of Périgord. In the 17th century she played a role during the Fronde, when the Marquis de Chanlost, an officer of the prince of Condé, tried to find refuge there before being killed there in 1653. The names Franconi and Tenant come from later owners: the pastry chef Guillaume Francony (acquisition in 1818) and the Tenant/Ladeuil families (1897).

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1902, the house has a remarkable architecture: two bodies of houses in right angles, a turret in corbellation, and windows mixing Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles. The facade on Place Saint-Louis illustrates this diversity. In 2020, the city of Périgueux acquired the ground floor to install the truffle market, and in 2024, the City of Art and History service established it, confirming its heritage anchor.

The sources mention fortifications added at the end of the 14th century, but most of the current structure dates from the 15th to the 16th centuries. The turret and main house body, with its imperial peak, are characteristic of perigord urban houses. The balcony-terrace, supported by crows, reflects local usages of the medieval and modern era.

Private property until 2020, the house has had various uses: aristocratic residence, commerce (pastry), and then institutional place. Its location in the preserved area of Périgueux, at the corner of Rue Éguillerie and Rue Saint-Louis, makes it a major visual and historical landmark. The studies of Paul Levicomte (1876) and François Deshoulières (1940) document his architectural and toponymic evolution.

Finally, the house embodies the historical strata of Périgueux: from the Middle Ages (links with the nobility) to the contemporary era (municipal appropriation). Its early classification (1902) underscores its heritage value, while its successive modifications reveal a constant adaptation to the needs of its occupants, from cardinals to artisans.

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