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Origin and history

The Square House is a Renaissance residence built in the second half of the 16th century in Nay, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Its name comes from the square proportion of its facade, where the height equals the length, and its unique square openings in the region. It was built on a plot originally owned by Pedro Sacaze, a rich merchant who made a fortune through trade with Spain, including dyeing.

The construction began under the impulse of François de Béarn, son-in-law of Pedro Sacaze, after a fire in 1543. However, the wars of Religion interrupted the work: François de Béarn, a Catholic, had to flee Nay in 1569 during the siege by Jeanne d'Albret, Protestant queen of Navarre. The latter confiscated the unfinished house, which temporarily became the "House of Jeanne d'Albret". After his death in 1572, the property returned to Marie Sacaze, Pedro's daughter, who probably completed the work using wood to complete the original stone façade.

The architecture of the Square House combines Italian and Bearnais influences, with loggias, a monumental staircase on the façade, and an interior courtyard inspired by ancient patios. The street façade, decorated with large sled windows and medallions representing Pedro Sacaze and his wife, reflects the prestige of its owners. Inside, carved chimneys, open ceilings and pebbly mosaics show rare comfort for the time. The house declined in the 18th century before being saved in extremis in 1838 by a restoration campaign.

In the 19th century, the state of degradation of the square house alarmed the authorities: the courtyard, transformed into a dump, and the threatening galleries required urgent intervention. Repurchased by the municipality in 1838, the building was restored between 1994 and 1998 under the direction of the Historic Monuments, revealing original elements such as the unfinished colonnades or the chimney angels. The restoration, which was awarded in 1998, allowed the house to be restored to its brilliance.

Today, the Square House houses a museum dedicated to the industrial and rural history of Béarn, exhibiting over 2,000 objects related to textiles, cabinetmaking, pastoralism and domestic life. Classified as a historical monument in 1862, it illustrates both the fascist of Renaissance merchants and the upheavals of the Wars of Religion in Béarn. Its exterior staircase, carved medallions and vaulted galleries make it a unique architectural gem in New Aquitaine.

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