Immeuble
MonumentHidden Treasure
Immeuble, located in Cahors (Département 46), 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
- Cahors, Département 46, Occitanie
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.4495, 1.4428
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00095006
A discreet but eloquent vestige of the former Pélegri college, this 15th-century building in Cahors boasts a Gothic staircase turret of rare elegance, a silent witness to the intellectual effervescence of medieval Quercy.
History
In the heart of Cahors, a town of art and history nestling in the meander of the River Lot, stands a complex of buildings whose apparent modesty conceals considerable historical depth. These buildings are what remains of the former Collège Pélegri, one of the most significant educational institutions in medieval Quercy. Although the centuries and successive transformations have largely altered the building, the 15th-century stair turret still stands proudly as a reminder of the architectural ambition of its builders. What makes this place truly unique is precisely this partial survival, this way in which history resists through a fragment. The Gothic turret, with its Quercy limestone gilded by the centuries, epitomises the aesthetics of the late Middle Ages: sobriety of form, assertive verticality, attention to detail in the carving of the stone. In a single architectural element, an entire era is revealed to the keen observer. Cahors, the ancient capital of Quercy, was a major intellectual and commercial crossroads in the Middle Ages. The presence of a college of this scale bears witness to a cultural dynamism that is often overlooked by the general public, who tend to reserve for Paris the monopoly of medieval knowledge. The building is part of a dense, historic urban fabric, just a stone's throw from other architectural gems in the city, including the famous Valentré bridge and Saint-Étienne cathedral. For the attentive visitor, the discovery of these remains of the Collège Pélegri is an invaluable stop-off on a stroll through old Cahors. The building, which has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1943, benefits from protection that guarantees the survival of its most remarkable features. Viewing it from the street offers a lesson in civil Gothic architecture, a style all too often overshadowed by the magnificence of religious buildings.
Architecture
The main architectural feature of this complex is the 15th-century stair turret, the only surviving medieval element of the elevation of the former Pélegri college. Characteristic of late-Gothic civil architecture in Quercy, this turret has a circular or polygonal plan, as was common practice in homes and institutions in the region at the time. It is built from the blonde limestone typical of the Quercy region, a material that is omnipresent in the buildings of Cahors and gives the town its characteristic warm colour. The turret housed a spiral staircase, an architectural feature that was both functional and symbolic, providing access to the different levels of the college while at the same time affirming the status of the institution. This type of vertical element was often the most visible architectural signature of a building, concentrating the ornamental care and technical mastery of the builders. The modelling, the quality of the stonework and any sculpted elements on the turret bear witness to the high standards of those who commissioned it. The building complex in which this medieval vestige now stands reflects the successive stratifications of Cadurcia's urban history, with its altered masonry, altered openings and altered roofs. But the coexistence of these different layers, far from detracting from the legibility of the site, enriches its historical interpretation and bears witness to the continuing vitality of a district that has never ceased to be inhabited since the Middle Ages.
Related Figures
Pélegri (fondateur éponyme du collège, bienfaiteur cahorsain du Moyen Âge)Jean XXII (pape d'origine cadurcienne, fondateur de l'université de Cahors en 1332, figure tutélaire de la vie intellectuelle locale)Léon Cladel (écrivain quercinois du XIXe siècle, représentant de la mémoire littéraire de Cahors)
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeuble located?
Immeuble is located in Cahors, Département 46 department, Occitanie region, France.
When was Immeuble built?
Immeuble dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Immeuble open to visitors?
Immeuble is currently closed to visitors.