Maison de Salignac-Eyvignes
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison de Salignac-Eyvignes, located in Salignac-Eyvignes (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
- Salignac-Eyvignes, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.9744, 1.3246
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082914
In the heart of Salignac-Eyvignes, this 13th-century medieval house, with its six pointed arches and Gothic windows with four-lobed rosettes, is thought to have housed a convent of crusaders before being remodelled during the Renaissance.
History
Nestling in the heart of the Périgord village of Salignac-Eyvignes, this listed medieval house is one of the most eloquent examples of civil and religious architecture in Périgord Noir. Its sober, 13th-century silhouette conceals an architectural wealth that is rare for a building of this type: six pointed arches on the ground floor, a cornice highlighting the transition to the upper storey, and delicate Gothic windows adorned with four-lobed rosettes that make the limestone vibrate in the golden Périgord light. What makes this monument truly unique is the legibility of its medieval layout, despite the Renaissance alterations. Where many similar buildings have lost their identity under successive layers of restoration, the house at Salignac-Eyvignes has retained a striking formal coherence. In one fell swoop, the visitor can embrace several centuries of architectural life, in a subtle dialogue between the original Gothic and Renaissance contributions. The oral tradition that associates this building with a convent of Crusaders - the monks of the Order of the Holy Cross - adds an extra spiritual and historical dimension to the visit. Just imagining these monks walking under the broken arches in this medieval Périgord village is enough to convey the human dimension of the place. For heritage lovers, a visit to this building is a natural part of a tour of the Périgord Noir, between the nearby Château de Salignac and the listed villages of the Dordogne valley. The ochre-coloured stone, the compact volumes and the green setting of the village make this monument an exceptional subject for photography, particularly in the late afternoon when the low-angled light reveals the texture of the arcades.
Architecture
The architecture of this medieval house belongs to the register of Gothic civil architecture in Périgord, with formal references to 13th-century conventual typologies. Its main façade is structured by a remarkable gallery of six pointed arches on the ground floor, whose regularity and quality of size suggest a prestigious commission, unusual for a simple urban building. These arcades, supported by pedestals in local limestone, define a semi-open space that was intended to link the building to the life of the village, in the manner of the galleries in the squares of contemporary bastide towns. The original first floor is emphasised by a moulded cornice and pierced by Gothic windows, some of which still have their four-lobed rose window surrounds - a decorative motif characteristic of the French Radiant Gothic style, applied here to domestic architecture with a sobriety typical of the Périgord region. Limestone from the Périgord Noir region is the only material used in the building, with regular-sized blocks used for the most elaborate parts (surrounds, arch keystones, cornice) and rubble stone for the common facings. The roof, probably made of limestone lauzes or flat tiles according to local custom, tops a simple, hipped volume, typical of medieval buildings in the foothills of the Massif Central. Renaissance alterations added a third storey to the original structure, changing the overall proportions without altering the essential medieval vocabulary. This architectural palimpsest, in which the Gothic and Renaissance strata are added together, is precisely what makes the monument so interesting, both scientifically and aesthetically: in a single building, visitors can read about two centuries of changes in building practices in Périgord.
Related Figures
Religieux croisiers de l'ordre de la Sainte-Croix (occupants présumés au XIIIe siècle)Seigneurs de Salignac (suzerains du bourg médiéval, famille de Salignac)François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon (issu de la famille seigneuriale locale, archevêque et écrivain, XVIIe siècle)Inspecteur des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier de classement (1995)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison de Salignac-Eyvignes located?
Maison de Salignac-Eyvignes is located in Salignac-Eyvignes, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Maison de Salignac-Eyvignes built?
Maison de Salignac-Eyvignes dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison de Salignac-Eyvignes open to visitors?
Maison de Salignac-Eyvignes is currently closed to visitors.
