Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

This building in Melun consists of two houses in the shape of L: one on street (2 floors + attic), the other on courtyard (1 floor + attic and Renaissance gallery). A carriageway leads to the rear courtyard, where a staircase facing the 16th century serves the floors. The cellar, accessible from the courtyard, combines a vaulted part in a cradle and a medieval section with double arches, testifying to the historical strata of the site.

The medieval cellar, to the south, is the oldest element. The Renaissance-style courtyard gallery dates from the first half of the 16th century, while the street façade was redesigned in the 17th century. An entresol, built in the 18th century (absent from 1740), changed access to the cellar. This building reflects the complexity of the Melunais urban fabric, combining periods and functions.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1927 for its courtyard façade, the building illustrates the architectural adaptation throughout the centuries. Its plan in L, its traffic (carretier passage, screw staircase) and its stylistic superpositions make it a rare example of ancient habitat preserved in Île-de-France. The successive transformations reveal the changing needs of its occupants, from medieval to modern times.

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