Maison, faisant retour sur la rue de la Vieille-Tour
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison, faisant retour sur la rue de la Vieille-Tour, located in Bordeaux (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
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8416, -0.5795
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083460
In the heart of the old town of Bordeaux, this medieval house overlooking the rue de la Vieille-Tour is a rare example of the city's urban civil architecture, and has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1927.
History
Tucked away in the dense fabric of Bordeaux's historic centre, the house on rue de la Vieille-Tour is one of those discreet but precious heritage buildings that can be discovered at the turn of an alleyway, far from the grand neoclassical facades that have made the "Moonstone" world-famous. The way it is set back from the public thoroughfare, typical of medieval plots in Bordeaux, reveals an ancient urban logic in which each building is linked to its neighbours according to a geometry inherited from the Middle Ages. What makes this residence truly unique is its ability to have survived the centuries without losing the essence of its architectural substance. Where so many similar buildings were demolished or radically altered during the great Haussmann building projects of the 19th century, this house has survived, preserving its volumes, proportions and certain ornamental details that are the delight of art historians and lovers of authentic heritage. A visit to this area invites you to take an attentive stroll through the streets of the Saint-Pierre district, one of the oldest in Bordeaux, where Roman remains, Gothic architecture and merchants' houses from the late Middle Ages blend together. Rue de la Vieille-Tour takes its name from an ancient medieval tower that no longer exists, a reminder that this district was at the heart of the city's commercial and port life. For the attentive visitor, the building offers a lesson in vernacular architecture: observe the ashlar courses, the carefully proportioned openings, the way the building interacts with the street. It's an experience of Bordeaux's urban history on a human scale, a far cry from monumental perspectives, that is both intimate and authentic. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1927, this house has benefited from early institutional attention, testifying to the early interest in Bordeaux's modest civil heritage, well before the city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
Architecture
The building has the typical characteristics of a medieval town house and early Bordeaux Renaissance, with a two- or three-storey elevation built of Entre-deux-Mers limestone, the preferred material of Gironde builders because it is easy to cut and has a lovely golden-blonde colour. The squared-back layout on two streets is the most distinctive feature of the plan, allowing the building to occupy a corner plot with two carefully-treated facades, each with harmoniously-proportioned openings framed by sober mouldings. The mullioned windows or sculpted straight lintels, in the style of the 15th and 16th centuries in Bordeaux, are probably the most striking decorative features of the building. The stone frames feature moulded profiles characteristic of the late flamboyant Gothic style mixed with early Renaissance influences, a transitional style found in many merchants' homes in the Gironde region. The ground floor could originally have been fitted with arcades or wide bays providing access to a shop or warehouse, an essential commercial function in this trading district. The roof, probably covered with canal tiles or flat tiles in the south-western tradition, crowns an ensemble whose sober silhouette blends discreetly into the surrounding urban landscape. The corner formed by the two facades has been elegantly treated, possibly with a harp-shaped ashlar quoins or a slightly rounded shape characteristic of the architectural solutions adopted in Bordeaux to resolve the constraints of the acute angles of medieval plots.
Related Figures
Intendant Claude Boucher de Tourny (1695-1760) — administrateur royal qui modernisa Bordeaux au XVIIIe siècle, préservant paradoxalement certains quartiers anciens par ses choix d'alignementMarchands de vin bordelais des XVe-XVIe siècles — propriétaires présumés de ce type de demeures d'angle dans le quartier portuaire de Saint-PierrePaul Léon (1874-1962) — directeur des Beaux-Arts qui impulsa la politique d'inscription des monuments civils modestes sous la loi de 1913, à laquelle cette maison doit sa protection de 1927Léo Drouyn (1816-1888) — archéologue et dessinateur bordelais qui documenta et fit connaître le patrimoine médiéval de Bordeaux, contribuant à sa reconnaissance institutionnelleCommunes de Bordeaux au XIXe siècle — les édiles locaux qui choisirent de préserver ce secteur du quartier Saint-Pierre lors des grands travaux de modernisation urbaine
Tags
Bordeaux patrimoinemaison médiévale Bordeauxarchitecture civile médiévaleMonument Historique Girondequartier Saint-Pierre Bordeauxpatrimoine UNESCO Bordeauxarchitecture gothique tardifmaison de marchand bordelaispierre de taille calcaireNouvelle-Aquitaine patrimoinearchitecture vernaculairePort de la Lune
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison, faisant retour sur la rue de la Vieille-Tour located?
Maison, faisant retour sur la rue de la Vieille-Tour is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Maison, faisant retour sur la rue de la Vieille-Tour built?
Maison, faisant retour sur la rue de la Vieille-Tour dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison, faisant retour sur la rue de la Vieille-Tour open to visitors?
Maison, faisant retour sur la rue de la Vieille-Tour is currently closed to visitors.