Maison du 15e siècle, anciennement dite des Quatre Fils Aymon
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison du 15e siècle, anciennement dite des Quatre Fils Aymon, located in Tours (Indre-et-Loire), 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
- Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.3942, 0.6803
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098233
In the heart of Tours, this 15th-century timber-framed house conceals under its medieval facades a wealth of decorative treasures bearing the emblems of Louis XI: fleurs-de-lys, royal crowns and sculptures on corner posts.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the old town of Tours, the house known as the House of the Four Aymon Sons is one of those discreet but irreplaceable witnesses to French medieval civil architecture. Its two timber-framed facades, typical of 15th-century construction in Tours, are part of an urban fabric that was one of the liveliest in the kingdom during the reign of Louis XI. At the time, Tours was the de facto capital of France, and every street in its centre was bustling with commercial and artistic activity. What sets this residence apart from its peers is the wealth of ornamentation that remained in its bowels until recently. The ground floor, devoted to commerce as was customary in medieval bourgeois houses, was supported at the street corner by a carved corner post - a rare architectural feature to have survived - whose bas-relief decorations interacted with the equally elaborate crosspieces. This type of wood carving, somewhere between Flamboyant Gothic and the beginnings of the Renaissance, was in itself an exceptional document of the decorative arts during the reign of Louis XI. Even more disturbing were the painted remains that adorned the ceiling of the ground floor and the hood of the large fireplace: royal crowns, fleurs-de-lis and the initial "L" of Louis XI were depicted, suggesting a strong, if not direct, link with the itinerant court of the spider king. These murals, an absolute rarity for a bourgeois residence, gave the place an almost symbolic dimension, on the border between a merchant house and a prestigious residence. Unfortunately, when a modern shop was fitted out, these decorations were quickly masked or destroyed, leaving historians and heritage enthusiasts with the regret of an irreparable loss. Nonetheless, the exterior elevation of the house retains an authentic and moving silhouette, typical of the medieval Towers that were so cruelly reduced by the bombardments of 1940. Now listed on the Inventaire supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques since 1941, the Maison des Quatre Fils Aymon remains a must-see for anyone interested in the civil architecture of the Loire Valley and the golden age of 15th-century Tours.
Architecture
The Maison des Quatre Fils Aymon is a remarkable example of the timber-framed civil architecture typical of medieval Touraine in the 15th century. Its two facades - probably on two perpendicular streets, in keeping with the classic layout of the urban corner house - are made up of a timber frame, the spaces between which were filled with cob or brick. This method of construction, which was both economical and quick, nevertheless allowed for a great deal of ornamental freedom in the size and carving of the exposed timbers. The most remarkable feature of the exterior elevation is the carved corner post that emphasises the corner of the two ground floor façades. This post, placed at man-height at the junction of the two walls, was not only a structural support but also a veritable objet d'art: carved in bas-relief in a late Gothic style with early Renaissance decorative accents, it bore plant, geometric or figurative motifs. The horizontal crosspieces that joined them were also decorated, forming a coherent and neat whole. This type of timber-framed decoration was typical of wealthy middle-class houses throughout the Loire Valley in the second half of the 15th century. Inside, the exposed joist ceiling on the ground floor and the large chimney hood were the most important decorative surfaces. The paintings that adorned them - crowns, fleurs-de-lis, royal monogram - indicate a strong concern for social representation. The fireplace itself must have been generous in size, as evidenced by the reference to a "vast hood", an element of comfort and prestige in any wealthy home in the late Middle Ages.
Related Figures
Louis XI, roi de France (1461-1483), dont les emblèmes ornaient l'intérieur de la maisonLes charpentiers-sculpteurs tourangeaux anonymes du XVe siècle, auteurs du poteau cornier et des traverses sculptéesLe propriétaire bourgeois inconnu qui fit construire et décorer la maison, probablement marchand ou officier royalLes membres de la famille des Quatre Fils Aymon, figures légendaires de la chanson de geste carolingienne ayant inspiré le nom populaire de la demeure
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison du 15e siècle, anciennement dite des Quatre Fils Aymon located?
Maison du 15e siècle, anciennement dite des Quatre Fils Aymon is located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Maison du 15e siècle, anciennement dite des Quatre Fils Aymon built?
Maison du 15e siècle, anciennement dite des Quatre Fils Aymon dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison du 15e siècle, anciennement dite des Quatre Fils Aymon open to visitors?
Maison du 15e siècle, anciennement dite des Quatre Fils Aymon is currently closed to visitors.