Halle centrale
MonumentHidden Treasure
Halle centrale, located in Monpazier (Dordogne), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Monpazier, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.6801, 0.8944
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082655
In the heart of the royal bastide town of Monpazier, the medieval market hall with its golden stone arcades stands in the most beautiful cornered square in Périgord. An intact 13th-century masterpiece.
History
On the Place des Cornières in Monpazier, considered by many to be the most beautiful medieval square in France, the central market hall stands out as the emblematic monument of this exceptionally well-preserved fortified town. Built in the 13th century, it occupies the exact geometric centre of the town, according to the orthogonal plan characteristic of the bastides of the South-West founded under Anglo-Gascon feudalism. Its structuring presence in the urban fabric makes it much more than a simple market building: it is the beating heart of a town that has remained virtually unchanged for seven centuries. What makes this market hall truly unique is the remarkable integrity of its architecture and the harmony it maintains with the roofed houses that surround it. Where other medieval covered market halls have undergone major transformations, the one at Monpazier has retained its oak framework, massive pillars and original proportions, offering visitors an authentic immersion in the trading atmosphere of the Middle Ages. The large grain measures - carved stone containers used to measure and tax goods - still bear witness to its centuries-old trading vocation. Visiting the town is a rare experience. On Thursday mornings, market day as in the days of its founders, the market hall rediscovers its original vocation: stalls are set up under its arcades, voices mingle with the smells of foie gras and Périgord walnuts, and time seems to stand still. During the rest of the week, the serenity that reigns under its roofs invites a more intimate contemplation, with the play of light filtering between the pillars creating an almost monastic atmosphere. The setting provided by the Place des Cornières further enhances its exceptional character. The medieval arcaded houses that line the perimeter of the square form a coherent setting of rare stylistic homogeneity, making the covered market part of a medieval urban ensemble that very few villages in France can boast to this degree of authenticity.
Architecture
The Monpazier market hall is a rectangular, timber-framed building, open on all four sides through wide arcades resting on ashlar pillars. This structure, with its perimeter colonnades, is typical of medieval market halls in the south-west of France, and is totally permeable to the surrounding square, reminding us that the market traditionally extended far beyond its walls. The pillars, made of Périgord limestone, have a robust, sober profile, devoid of superfluous ornamentation, typical of utilitarian medieval architecture. The oak framework, the most remarkable feature of the building, illustrates the skills of 13th-century Gascon carpenters. The joists, crossbeams and purlins are assembled using mortise and tenon techniques inherited from the great Romanesque construction sites, giving the whole structure a robustness that has defied the centuries. The gable roof, covered with canal tiles - or earlier with lauzes depending on the period - has a gentle slope perfectly suited to the semi-continental climate of the Périgord. The generous height under the roof frame meant that it could accommodate loaded carts and raised stalls. Among the most precious architectural features are the stone grain measures, set into one of the pillars or into an adjoining stone bench: a series of cavities cut to regulation dimensions, they constitute a rare piece of medieval furniture in situ. The hall as a whole is remarkably coherent with the covered houses in the square, whose arcades on the ground formed a continuous shopping arcade - a system known as "cornières" - typical of the bastides of Périgord and Quercy.
Related Figures
Édouard Ier d'Angleterre — roi d'Angleterre et duc de Gascogne, co-fondateur de la bastide de Monpazier en 1285Pierre de Gontaut — seigneur de Biron, cosignataire de la charte de fondation de MonpazierBuffarot, dit le Grand Croquant — chef paysan de la jacquerie de 1594, capturé et exécuté sur la place de MonpazierGeoffroy de Vivans — capitaine huguenot qui s'empara de Monpazier durant les guerres de Religion au XVIe siècleProsper Mérimée — inspecteur des Monuments historiques, pionnier de la redécouverte des bastides médiévales du Sud-Ouest au XIXe siècle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Halle centrale located?
Halle centrale is located in Monpazier, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Halle centrale built?
Halle centrale dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Halle centrale open to visitors?
Halle centrale is currently closed to visitors.