Maison
MonumentHidden Treasure
A discreet medieval residence in Mehun-sur-Yèvre, this 12th-century Romanesque house boasts a unique saw-toothed window and a Gothic geminated window, a living reminder of the passage of Charles VII.
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History
In the heart of Mehun-sur-Yèvre, a town in the Berry region steeped in royal history, stands a medieval house whose façade bears witness to a rare degree of architectural continuity: seven centuries of construction superimposed on just a few square metres of stone. Modest in appearance, this building is nevertheless one of the most interesting examples of Romanesque and Gothic civil architecture in the Cher department. What immediately strikes the attentive observer is the coexistence of two windows belonging to radically different periods. The lower Romanesque window, with its semi-circular arch, is impressive for the sophistication of its decoration: wide saw-tooth motifs punctuated by a baguette hemmed in with almost jewellery-like precision. Higher up, a geminated window surmounted by Gothic trefoils cut into the slab is a reminder of the 15th century, when the house was probably refurbished to welcome a distinguished guest. The house owes part of its fame to an illustrious tenant: Charles VII, King of France, stayed here during his frequent visits to Mehun-sur-Yèvre, a town whose ducal castle and gentle Berrich countryside he appreciated. This royal connection gives the building a special aura, transforming a middle-class house into a tangible fragment of medieval French history. A visit to this residence is aimed above all at fans of Romanesque and Gothic civil architecture, an area that often receives less media coverage than religious architecture, but is just as fascinating. Taking the time to observe the façade closely, to distinguish the different phases of construction and to imagine the royal silhouette crossing this threshold is an experience that the history at hand makes singularly moving. Mehun-sur-Yèvre, a town of art and history, also offers a pleasant setting in which to extend your discovery: the ruins of the château of Duke Jean de Berry, mentioned in the Très Riches Heures, are nearby, making this house part of a coherent and remarkable heritage ensemble.
Architecture
The building's façade is structured in height, crowned by a characteristic gable. Although the exact materials used are not precisely documented, it is likely that the building was constructed using ashlar limestone, a material that is ubiquitous in the Cher region, and is consistent with local practices in the 12th and 15th centuries. The Romanesque window on the ground floor is the centrepiece of the composition. Its semicircular arch, forming a perfect semicircle, rests directly on the jambs without an intermediate transom - a technical detail characteristic of Berrichon Romanesque. The entire perimeter is enlivened by a large sawtooth decoration, a zigzag motif of great visual effectiveness, underlined by a moulded strip that elegantly hems in the frame. Inside this bay, a 15th-century intervention introduced a mullion with a prismatic section and a bare tympanum, discreetly superimposing the Gothic vocabulary onto the Romanesque framework. Above, the 15th-century geminated window illustrates the transition to the civil Flamboyant Gothic style. Comprising twin lancets, it is crowned by a stone slab cut with openwork trefoils, the quintessential Gothic motif, lending lightness and grace to the whole. This superimposition of two distinct architectural languages - the Romanesque at the bottom, the Gothic at the top - makes this façade a veritable stone book, readable by any lover of medieval architecture.
Related Figures
Charles VII, roi de France (1422-1461), qui séjourna dans cette demeure lors de ses passages à Mehun-sur-YèvreJean de Berry (1340-1416), duc mécène qui fit de Mehun-sur-Yèvre une capitale artistique et culturelle du BerryAgnès Sorel, favorite de Charles VII, dont la présence à la cour berrichonne est liée à la même périodeProsper Mérimée, inspecteur des Monuments Historiques, dont l'action au XIXe siècle permit la reconnaissance et la sauvegarde d'édifices de ce type
