Maison du 18e siècle
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison du 18e siècle, located in Bourg (Gironde), 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
- Bourg, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.0391, -0.5586
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083484
On the Place de Bourg, this 18th-century residence conceals a medieval past: its rear rests on the ancient ramparts, while its rounded door decorated with an elegant mascaron invites you to discover five centuries of history.
History
In the heart of Bourg, a small Gironde town nestling at the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, this bourgeois house is at first glance a sober, elegant example of 18th-century urban architecture. Its ordered facade facing the square, pierced by regular openings and crowned by a finely sculpted arched door, reveals the classical taste of its patrons. However, behind this apparent sobriety lies a much older and more complex history. What makes this truly singular residence so special is the temporal duality it embodies: while the façade overlooking the square displays the aesthetic codes of the late Grand Siècle, the rear of the building literally rests on the old medieval ramparts of Bourg. This integration of urban defences into civilian buildings is a common feature of fortified towns in the south-west, but here it is particularly visible and remarkable. The masonry of the ramparts, massive and austere, becomes the unexpected base for an elegant town house. The entrance door alone deserves attention: its semi-circular arch frames a mascaron - a sculpted face that is both decorative and apotropaic, designed to ward off evil spirits while signalling the owner's prosperity. This motif, very popular in Bordeaux and Gironde civil architecture in the first half of the 18th century, gives the building a refined ornamental dimension. The wrought iron fanlight above the door adds a touch of light and airiness, typical of the skills of Aquitaine's ironworkers of the period. To visit this house is to grasp in a single building several layers of Bourg's urban history: the fortified medieval town, the bourgeois recomposition of spaces over the centuries, and the Aquitaine art of living in the 18th century. The setting of the Place de Bourg, with its merchants' houses and views over the estuary, reinforces this impression of a place where time has been gracefully superimposed.
Architecture
The house has a ground floor and a first floor, a typical layout for an 18th century middle-class town house in the south-west of France. The sober, orderly facade facing the square is punctuated by openings with moulded surrounds, evenly distributed in accordance with the classical canons in force at the time. Limestone ashlar, which is abundant in the Gironde region, is probably the main material used for the façade, giving the building the luminous blond hue typical of Aquitaine architecture. The most remarkable feature of the building is undoubtedly its entrance door: a semi-circular arch framed by well-connected keystones, the key to which is adorned with a sculpted mascaron. This decorative motif - an expressive face whose precise identity (river god, allegory, grotesque figure) remains to be determined - is treated with obvious care, testifying to the talent of a quality regional sculptor. The wrought iron fanlight that crowns the door, composed of scrolls and volutes, lets the light filter into the entrance vestibule while adding a precious ornamental note to the composition. The back of the house is the building's most distinctive structural feature: the walls are built directly onto the facing of the old medieval ramparts of Bourg. This means that the foundation is remarkably solid, which may explain why the building has lasted for several centuries. The contrast between the massive, irregular bonding of the medieval fortifications and the meticulous craftsmanship of the 18th-century masonry on the rampart side provides architectural evidence of great stratigraphic value.
Related Figures
Les propriétaires bourgeois commanditaires du XVIIIe siècle (famille de négociants non identifiée)Les maçons et tailleurs de pierre girondins ayant réalisé la façade classiqueLe sculpteur auteur du mascaron (artisan régional non identifié)Le ferronnier ayant réalisé l'imposte en ferronnerie forgéeLes cartographes ayant dressé le plan de Bourg de 1650, première mention documentéeLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription en 1973
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison du 18e siècle located?
Maison du 18e siècle is located in Bourg, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Maison du 18e siècle built?
Maison du 18e siècle dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison du 18e siècle open to visitors?
Maison du 18e siècle is currently closed to visitors.