Maison de Boulbon
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison de Boulbon, located in Boulbon (Bouches-du-Rhône), 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
- Boulbon, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.8618, 4.6941
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081234
Au cœur de Boulbon, cette demeure médiévale des XIIIe-XIVe siècles incarne l'architecture civile provençale dans toute sa sobriété raffinée, avec ses murs de pierre calcaire et ses arcatures gothiques caractéristiques.
History
Nestling in the village of Boulbon, at the gateway to the Alpilles mountains and just a few leagues from Tarascon, this medieval house is one of those discreet gems that the heritage of Provence knows so well how to hide from the hurried eye. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1937, it is a soberly eloquent testimony to the art of urban living in 13th- and 14th-century Provence, far removed from the splendour of the great seigneurial residences, but still indicative of a prosperous and cultured local bourgeoisie. What makes this residence so special is precisely its calculated modesty: here, architecture is not about ostentation, but about solidity, intelligent use of space and adaptation to the Mediterranean climate. The compact volumes, the carefully proportioned openings and the quality of the local stone-cutting reveal the hand of seasoned Provençal masons, heirs to a Romano-Gothic tradition that brought glory to the workshops of Arles and Avignon in the Middle Ages. To visit this house is to slip into the interstices of history, where the great chronicles are silent and the stone speaks in hushed tones. The attentive visitor will be able to read in the cross-section of the voussoirs, in the bonding of the facades and in the layout of the cushioned windows the story of a medieval daily life reconstructed in filigree. Boulbon itself offers a beautiful setting: dominated by the imposing ruins of its feudal castle and perfumed by the scents of the garrigue, the village retains an authentic character that mass tourism has not yet altered. The house fits naturally into this village landscape, where every street is a lesson in Provençal vernacular architecture.
Architecture
The house is in the tradition of southern Gothic civil architecture, characterised by the use of carefully-cut local limestone, sturdy load-bearing walls and a decorative economy that does not exclude quality of execution. The facades, arranged over two or three storeys according to a pattern common in medieval Provence, probably feature geminated or cushioned windows, openings typical of 13th-14th century middle-class homes, sometimes enlivened by chamfered mouldings or columns with soberly sculpted capitals. The blond limestone, typical of the quarries in the Alpilles and Crau plains, gives the building the golden hue that characterises medieval Provencal architecture and allows it to blend harmoniously with the surrounding village fabric. The volumes are compact and squat, designed to withstand the mistral as well as the summer heat, with limited openings on the north-facing facades and an interior layout based around a barrel-vaulted or rib-vaulted lower hall. Inside, the layout follows the classic model of a medieval middle-class house in the south of France: a shop or storeroom on the ground floor, accessible from the street via a pointed-arched doorway, and the living rooms upstairs, served by a stone spiral staircase. This functional organisation, which separated economic activities from domestic space, is a strong social marker of late medieval Provençal bourgeois housing.
Related Figures
Comtes d'Anjou — seigneurs de Provence aux XIIIe-XIVe siècles, sous le règne desquels la maison fut construiteCommanditaire bourgeois anonyme — notable local (marchand, notaire ou officier) qui fit édifier la demeure aux XIIIe-XIVe sièclesMaçons provençaux médiévaux — artisans héritiers des ateliers romano-gothiques d'Arles et d'AvignonAdministrateurs des Monuments Historiques — responsables de l'inscription protectrice du 17 septembre 1937
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison de Boulbon located?
Maison de Boulbon is located in Boulbon, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Maison de Boulbon built?
Maison de Boulbon dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Maison de Boulbon open to visitors?
Maison de Boulbon is currently closed to visitors.
