Immeuble
Monument
Immeuble, located in La Roche-sur-Foron (Département 74), 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
- La Roche-sur-Foron, Département 74, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 46.0660, 6.3135
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00118427
In the heart of La Roche-sur-Foron, this listed building retains the imprint of medieval Savoyard architecture, with its arcaded galleries characteristic of the old town.
History
La Roche-sur-Foron, the former capital of Faucigny and a prosperous trading town at the crossroads of the Alpine routes, has preserved a remarkably coherent urban architectural heritage. This building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1944, is just one of the many civil buildings lining the streets of La Roche-sur-Foron, testifying to the unique architectural identity of a town that was for many years one of the busiest in Haute-Savoie. The building is in the tradition of Savoyard medieval and Renaissance town houses, characterised by their facades in local limestone, their covered galleries - the famous 'porticos' or 'couverts' - and their steeply pitched roofs adapted to the harsh Alpine climate. These buildings were built as much for commercial reasons (to protect buyers and merchants from the elements) as to make an architectural statement for the local bourgeoisie of merchants and notables. The partial protection granted to this building in 1944 highlights the importance of certain specific architectural features - the façade, arcades, interior staircase and sculpted decoration - deemed representative of the Savoyard art of building at its height. In a town where trade fairs attracted merchants and craftsmen from all over the Alps, buildings like this one were places where people lived, traded and expressed their social status. A stroll through the old town of La Roche-sur-Foron allows you to appreciate this building in its original urban context, in dialogue with the Tour de la Roche, the covered market and the other historic residences that make up one of the best-preserved medieval ensembles in Haute-Savoie. For heritage lovers, it's an invitation to decipher the architectural grammar of a mountain town proud of its history.
Architecture
The building is in the tradition of Savoyard urban civil engineering, built of limestone extracted from local quarries in the Faucigny region, a material that is omnipresent in the old buildings of La Roche-sur-Foron. The façade, probably punctuated by mullioned windows or moulded frames typical of the 15th and 17th centuries, expresses the balance between Alpine robustness and a concern for elegance typical of the region's middle-class homes. The vertical layout typical of these town houses generally comprises a ground floor used for commercial or craft purposes, sometimes opening onto the street via a portico with semi-circular or basket-handle arches, and residential floors accessed via a stone spiral staircase or a straight staircase with a wrought-iron banister. The steeply pitched roof, covered in flat tiles or slate depending on the period, was designed to cope with the heavy snowfall in the Alpine foothills. The partial protection granted to the building suggests that certain specific elements - whether a sculpted portal, an interior gallery, a remarkable staircase or a façade decoration - are of sufficient architectural or historical quality to justify national listing. These elements are the signature of local craftsmanship that made the reputation of the master masons and stonemasons of the Faucigny region.
Related Figures
Les sires de Faucigny, fondateurs de la cité et premiers bâtisseurs du tissu urbain médiéval de La Roche-sur-ForonAmédée VI de Savoie, dit le Comte Vert, sous l'autorité duquel le Faucigny fut intégré à la Savoie en 1355La bourgeoisie marchande locale des XVe-XVIIe siècles, commanditaire probable de l'édificeLes maîtres maçons et tailleurs de pierre du Faucigny, artisans des constructions civiles savoyardesLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques de 1944, artisans de la protection patrimoniale de l'immeuble
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeuble located?
Immeuble is located in La Roche-sur-Foron, Département 74 department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 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.