Built between 1540 and 1550, this house is the finest example of Renaissance civil architecture in Langres. It comprises two buildings, one facing the street and the other the garden, linked by a side corridor. Organised in a vertical arrangement, according to the functions of the different levels, this building comprises, from bottom to top, a cellar, a basement and two residential floors.
On the garden side, the façade features a simple geometric composition: two levels of Ionic and Corinthian columns are stacked one above the other. The horizontal lines, strongly emphasised by the cornices, break up the verticality of the columns and the mullioned windows. Belonging to the Classical Renaissance period, this bourgeois house is, in its decoration, a direct heir to antiquity: friezes with drapery motifs linked by rings and bucrania, a pursuit of naturalism with clusters of fruit, palmettes and ‘Burgundian cabbages’…
From the courtyard, enclosed by a stone balustrade, a door provided direct access to the semi-underground servants’ quarters. Vaulted with low arches, the kitchens still feature a large fireplace and areas set aside for storing food. In the courtyard, the servants drew rainwater collected in the elegant cistern, covered by a small dome.
On the side of the façade, a semi-circular door opens onto a corridor that runs through the house, connecting it to Rue Cardinal Morlot, the town’s main shopping street in the 16th century. This long corridor leads to the ground-floor rooms, including the former reception room, a small inner courtyard, and the spiral staircase leading to the upper floors and cellars. From the kitchens, one then reaches the older cellar level. Dating from the 14th or 15th century and covered by cross vaults, they feature capitals carved with plant, animal or human motifs, as well as a well…
The Maison Renaissance will be hosting an exhibition on Renaissance architecture in the Langres region.
Free access to the courtyard, from where the façade can be viewed.
Guided tours at 3 pm and 5 pm.
Maison Renaissance
