Maison
Monument
Maison, located in Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais), 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
- Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108418
A 17th-century bourgeois residence nestling in the heart of Saint-Omer, this listed Flemish house bears witness to the architectural heyday of a prosperous town on the borders of Artois and Flanders.
History
As you stroll along the cobbled streets of Saint-Omer, this 17th-century house stands as a silent but eloquent reminder of a time when the town was one of the busiest in northern France. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1948, it embodies the discreet refinement of Flemish-Artesian civil architecture, halfway between French classical rigour and the ornamental generosity of the Spanish Netherlands. What sets this residence apart from the anonymous buildings of its time is precisely the quality of its architectural treatment: a carefully proportioned brick façade punctuated by bands of white Liais stone, mullioned or transomed windows characteristic of the century of Louis XIV, and an overall composition that reveals the social ambition of its patron. In a city where business and the judiciary generated great fortunes, stone and brick were the standards of success. To visit this house is to plunge into the hushed daily life of the post-Renaissance Saint-Omero bourgeoisie. The building is in natural harmony with the rich heritage of its surroundings - Notre-Dame cathedral, the former bishop's palace and the town houses that dot the historic centre - forming a remarkably coherent urban ensemble. The attentive stroller will be able to read, in every detail of the modenature, the signature of a flourishing urban civilisation. Saint-Omer's setting amplifies the emotion of its heritage. As a listed City of Art and History, the former capital of the County of Artois and then Vauban's stronghold, it offers an unspoilt urban setting for this type of house, where the 17th century has been sedimented with a particular grace. Flanking this residence with a stroll through the old quarters or a visit to the town's public gardens turns a stopover into a real journey back in time.
Architecture
The architecture of the house is typical of 17th-century Flemish-Artesian middle-class housing, based on the use of local red brick combined with white ashlar quoins and stringcourses - a two-colour scheme that reflected the visual identity of the whole of northern France at the time. The composition of the façade follows a classical layout: regular bays, carefully proportioned rectangular openings, carefully treated spandrels and lintels. The window frames, which were either cross-headed or small-headed according to the custom of the time, cut through the northern light with functional elegance. The roof, steeply pitched as befits the Artesian sky, was traditionally covered with flat tiles or slate, the dominant materials in the region in the 17th century. The many imposing chimney stacks bear witness to the fact that the interior was organised into separate, individually heated rooms - an undeniable sign of bourgeois comfort. The built volume, generally developed in depth on a narrow street-front plot, follows the typical layout of the Artesian town house: main building, inner courtyard and any outbuildings at the back of the plot. The interior features a timber-framed staircase with a revolving banister, beamed ceilings in the utility rooms and plastered, moulded ceilings in the reception rooms - all features that are regularly mentioned in 17th-century death inventories of houses of this standing in Saint-Emilion. Marble or carved stone fireplaces were the centrepieces of the interior décor.
Related Figures
Propriétaire fondateur anonyme — bourgeois saint-omerois, commanditaire probable de la construction dans la seconde moitié du XVIIe siècleLouis XIV — roi de France dont le règne voit le rattachement de Saint-Omer au royaume (1677) et l'essor architectural contemporain de la maisonVauban (Sébastien Le Prestre de) — ingénieur du roi qui fortifia Saint-Omer après son annexion française, transformant le paysage urbain environnantFonctionnaires de la Commission des Monuments Historiques — responsables de l'inscription de la maison le 25 février 1948Échevins et magistrats de Saint-Omer — élites locales dont cette demeure reflète le mode de vie et les ambitions architecturales au Grand Siècle
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison located?
Maison is located in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Maison built?
Maison dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison open to visitors?
Maison is currently closed to visitors.