Hôtel Gamenson ou Logis Saint-Front
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel Gamenson ou Logis Saint-Front, located in Périgueux (Dordogne), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Périgueux, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.1847, 0.7235
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082733
At the heart of old Périgueux, the hôtel Gamenson reveals a Renaissance courtyard of rare elegance: a polygonal tower, a corbelled turret, and a well with columns of a thoroughly Italianate grace.
History
Nestling in the medieval fabric of Périgueux, the Hôtel Gamenson - also known as the Logis Saint-Front - is one of the discreet gems of Périgord's civil heritage. Built between the end of the 15th century and the first decades of the 16th century, it belongs to the generation of private mansions where the boldness of the Renaissance was beginning to bend the Gothic habits that were still firmly established in the Dordogne. Its austere, noble street façade barely hints at the treasures to be found in the inner courtyard. It is precisely in this main courtyard that the building reveals all its singularity. Two buildings arranged at right angles to each other are built around a polygonal stair tower, a typical feature of seigneurial architecture of the period, against which a round corbelled turret is set - this bold projection on stone corbels gives the whole an almost Romanesque silhouette. The attentive visitor will recognise here the formal vocabulary of the great Loire residences adapted to the intimate scale of a prosperous provincial town. The highlight of the visit is undoubtedly the Renaissance well in one corner of the courtyard. Its six square columns supporting a rigorous entablature, crowned by a spherical-cap-shaped roof, form a small monument within a monument: a piece of architectural goldsmithery that testifies to the refined taste of its patrons for ancient forms that were then being revived in Italy. The façade on the street side also holds a surprise in store: on the first floor there is a long balcony encircled by a wrought-iron railing, a rare example of the art of metalwork in Périgueux in the modern era. This subtle interplay between stone and iron, between the mass of masonry and the lightness of the ironwork, perfectly illustrates the stylistic duality of the building, halfway between its medieval heritage and the new sensibility of the Renaissance. For travellers in search of authenticity away from the overcrowded tourist circuits, the Hôtel Gamenson offers a striking insight into the intimacy of the Périgord bourgeoisie during the Renaissance. It is ideally suited to a heritage trail in the Saint-Front district, alongside the Byzantine cathedral and the many medieval tower houses that make Périgueux's architectural reputation so unique.
Architecture
The Gamenson mansion is in the tradition of the French Renaissance town house, characterised by its layout around an inner courtyard, which is the real performance space. On the street side, the façade displays a certain medieval sobriety, enlivened on the first floor by a long, continuous balcony whose wrought-iron railing adds a touch of decorative lightness. This type of long balcony, rare in Périgord civil architecture, gives the building a distinctive character that is immediately recognisable from the public thoroughfare. The main courtyard forms the architectural heart of the complex. Two buildings set at right angles create an intimate, controlled space, structured by the polygonal stair tower that joins them. This tower, which is both functional and ornamental, stands out for the care taken with its stone facings and the round corbelled turret attached to it - a device that is both practical and aesthetic, inherited from the medieval military repertoire but reinterpreted here in a purely decorative and residential spirit. The warm, golden colour of the local limestone unifies all the masonry. The Renaissance well is undoubtedly the most remarkable and accomplished element of the whole. Its arrangement of six square columns supporting a classical entablature, crowned by a spherical-cap roof, testifies to a precise knowledge of the ancient vocabulary and an uncommon technical mastery for a provincial building. This small edifice within an edifice alone illustrates the ability of 16th-century Périgord craftsmen to appropriate new forms from Italy and adapt them to everyday domestic use.
Related Figures
Famille Gamenson — lignée bourgeoise ou noble périgourdine à laquelle l'hôtel doit son nom principalCommanditaire anonyme de la fin du XVe siècle — maître d'ouvrage de la reconstruction initiale sur bases médiévalesMaître maçon périgourdin du XVIe siècle — concepteur probable de la tour polygonale et du puits RenaissanceSaint Front — évêque évangélisateur du Périgord au IIIe siècle, dont le nom est associé au quartier et à la seconde appellation de l'hôtelInspecteur des Monuments Historiques (1964) — acteur de la procédure de classement protégeant l'édifice
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel Gamenson ou Logis Saint-Front located?
Hôtel Gamenson ou Logis Saint-Front is located in Périgueux, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Hôtel Gamenson ou Logis Saint-Front built?
Hôtel Gamenson ou Logis Saint-Front dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel Gamenson ou Logis Saint-Front open to visitors?
Hôtel Gamenson ou Logis Saint-Front is currently closed to visitors.