Maison de Périgueux
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison de Périgueux, located in Périgueux (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
- Périgueux, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.1832, 0.7238
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082751
Perched on the ancient ramparts of Périgueux, this 15th-century medieval eschif is one of the very few corbelled, timber-framed military buildings still standing in France.
History
In the heart of Périgueux, a town whose heritage dates back to Gallo-Roman times, stands a deceptively discreet building: the eschif des Barris. Clinging over the void like a forgotten watchtower, it embodies a form of medieval defensive architecture that is as rare as it is little-known. Far from the great fortresses and massive stone keeps, this timber-framed structure illustrates a more everyday military reality: the surveillance of a strategic crossing point, in this case the entrance to the town via the old Barris bridge, which spanned the Isle. What makes the eschif des Barris absolutely unique is its surviving status. Most constructions of this type - lightweight, wooden, designed to be temporary - have disappeared without a trace. The one in Périgueux has defied the centuries, retaining its overhanging position on the rampart, held up by an ingenious system of stone corbels and pieces of wood set into the masonry. It's a real miracle of preservation that lovers of medieval architecture can't afford to ignore. Visiting it is like stepping back into an authentic Middle Ages, stripped of all reconstruction. The interior, organised around a central fireplace with two hearths - a rare device that separated the single space into two distinct zones - makes it easy to imagine the life of those who kept watch here, night after night, over the comings and goings of the city. Wood, fire and stone: a striking atmosphere. The monument is part of the dense urban fabric of old Périgueux, just a stone's throw from Saint-Front cathedral and Gallo-Roman remains. This proximity to other exceptional historical layers makes for a visit that plunges visitors thousands of years into the history of the city of the Vesones. For photographers and history buffs, the building reveals itself in a particularly striking light at the end of the day, when the golden light of Périgord highlights the texture of the ancient wood and golden stones.
Architecture
The architecture of the eschif des Barris is decidedly atypical when it comes to medieval defensive monuments. Built in pan de bois - a technique that combines a framework of oak posts and beams with an infill of cob or wattle and daub - it stands in stark contrast to the massive stone constructions that usually dominate the imagination of medieval military architecture. This structural lightness is precisely what defines the eschif: a semi-permanent construction, quick to erect and adaptable to the constraints of an existing rampart. The building rests corbelled on the wall of the urban enclosure, held in the air by a system of carved stone corbels and horizontal timbers carefully engaged in the masonry of the rampart. This ingenious and robust method of attachment enabled the living space to be extended beyond the bare wall, giving occupants an unobstructed view of the Barris bridge and the outskirts of the town. The flat-tiled roof, typical of the Périgord region, completes this picture of functional vernacular architecture. The interior comprises a single room, the organisation of which is marked by the remarkable presence of a central fireplace with two hearths. This device, which divides the space into two distinct zones, is a rare and ingenious technical solution: it made it possible both to heat a small volume efficiently and to organise the cohabitation of several guards or inhabitants. The modest dimensions of the building - typical of light military constructions of the period - reinforce the feeling of an architecture on a human scale, far removed from the monumentality of the great feudal fortresses.
Related Figures
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc — architecte et théoricien du XIXe siècle qui a documenté et conceptualisé la notion d'eschif dans son Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture françaiseLes consuls de Périgueux — magistrats municipaux du XVe siècle qui ordonnèrent et supervisèrent les aménagements défensifs de l'enceinte urbaineLes gardes et guetteurs médiévaux — hommes chargés de la surveillance nocturne et diurne du pont des Barris depuis l'eschifLes membres de la Société Historique et Archéologique du Périgord — érudits locaux qui contribuèrent au XIXe siècle à faire connaître et protéger ce vestige méconnu
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison de Périgueux located?
Maison de Périgueux is located in Périgueux, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Maison de Périgueux built?
Maison de Périgueux dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison de Périgueux open to visitors?
Maison de Périgueux is currently closed to visitors.
