Maison de Montignac
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison de Montignac, located in Montignac (Dordogne), 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
- Montignac, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.0659, 1.1624
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082701
In the heart of Montignac, the birthplace of Lascaux, this old house, listed since 1931, embodies Périgord civil architecture in all its elegant sobriety, with its blonde stones and its volumes characteristic of the vernacular buildings of the Périgord Noir.
History
Montignac, a small medieval town nestling in the Vézère valley, is much more than just a gateway to the Lascaux caves. Its historic urban fabric is home to some remarkable examples of Périgord civil architecture, including this old house, listed as a Historic Monument in January 1931. Far from the sumptuous stately homes of Périgord, this building illustrates the discreet richness of the region's bourgeois and artisanal architecture. Its measured proportions, elaborate openings and local materials bear witness to building skills handed down from generation to generation, rooted in the geological resources of the Périgord Noir - the yellowish limestone, almost golden in low-angled light, that gives the valley's built landscape its distinctive tone. To visit this house is to immerse yourself in the daily life of centuries gone by, far removed from the big tourist spectacles. The building is intimately linked to the medieval and Renaissance urban fabric of Montignac, whose streets are architecturally very coherent. Every detail - cornice, carved lintel, mullioned bay or spiral staircase - tells of the quiet prosperity of a town that was, before the Revolution, a town of some importance on the Périgueux-Sarlat route. The setting itself is exceptional: Montignac is set in one of the most beautiful and unspoilt landscapes in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The Vézère, a lazily meandering river, runs alongside the town, offering picturesque views of its ancient facades. Just a few kilometres away, troglodytic cliffs and prehistoric sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites complete an area with a rare density of heritage.
Architecture
The architecture of this house in Montignac is in keeping with the great tradition of Périgord civil engineering, characterised by the almost exclusive use of local limestone - the soft, blonde stone that is easy to cut and is the universal building material of the Périgord Noir. The thick walls, built of carefully matched rubble, provide remarkable natural insulation, keeping cool in summer and warm in winter. The composition of the façade bears witness to a strong aesthetic concern: the openings, probably organised in regular bays, feature carefully profiled ashlar surrounds. Characteristic features of medieval and Renaissance architecture in Périgord can be seen, such as sculpted lintels, braces and coved mouldings. The roof, with its steep slope in keeping with regional tradition, is probably covered with flat tiles or limestone lauzes, the stone slabs that are one of the most recognisable signatures of the Périgord architectural landscape. Inside, the layout probably follows the traditional layout of medieval urban houses: the ground floor is used for commercial purposes or storage, and the upper floor is reserved for living quarters, served by a spiral staircase housed in a turret or in the thickness of the wall. The possible presence of barrel-vaulted rooms or ribbed ogives on the lower level would be a valuable clue to the dating and initial social status of the building.
Related Figures
Comtes du Périgord — seigneurs médiévaux dont l'autorité encadra le développement urbain de MontignacBourgeoisie marchande montignacoise — commanditaires probables de ce type de demeure aux XVe-XVIe sièclesProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, artisan de la politique de protection du patrimoine civil en France au XIXe siècleEugène Leroy — romancier périgourdin (1836-1907), natif de Montignac, auteur de Jacquou le Croquant, figure tutélaire de la mémoire localeHenri Breuil — préhistorien, acteur clé de l'authentification de la grotte de Lascaux en 1940, dont le passage à Montignac renforça l'intérêt pour le patrimoine local
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison de Montignac located?
Maison de Montignac is located in Montignac, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Maison de Montignac built?
Maison de Montignac dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison de Montignac open to visitors?
Maison de Montignac is currently closed to visitors.