Trois édifices médiévaux au cœur du bourg de Saint-Marcel (Indre) / Three mediaeval buildings in the centre of the bourg of Saint-Marcel (Indre)

Résumé En Fr

Detailed recording of three buildings belonging to the priory of Saint-Marcel was carried out in advance of rehabilitation work. The observation of the dispositions of the various phases of interior floor-levels, openings and wall renderings allowed the restitution of the internal organisation of two of the structures. The first of these is a house built around the start of the 13th century, integrated into an early defensive system, probably belonging to the priory. It was divided into three levels : a partially sunken cellar with two arrow slits in the north wall, a raised " ground floor " dominated by a fireplace in the west wall and two windows in the north and south walls and a possible attic under the rafters. This structure conserved the greater part of its interior painted wall renderings, including a human face hidden inside a small alcove. A phase of rebuilding in the 15th century created an individual three storey house which shows a very clear hierarchy between the different levels (cellar, semi-public hall, private quarters and attic). The presence of stone wash-basins and window seats shows a greater preoccupation with comfort. In use until the revolutionary period, the building seems to have been used as a school before serving as a simple barn. The second building represents a 16th century barn which served to house a treadmill operated grape- press in the 19th century. Several graffiti were observed, engraved in the stone door surrounds. One of these seems to represent a "blueprint "for the structure. The southern wall of a third structure situated between these two elements was also observed. Various features of this masonry suggest that the extent and complexity of the mediaeval buildings were greater than those of the existing remains.

Une intervention archéologique sur trois bâtiments au cœur du bourg de Saint-Marcel a permis la compréhension de l'organisation interne des structures grâce à l'étude de la disposition des enduits, des niveaux de sol et des ouvertures. Le premier édifice consiste vraisemblablement en un habitat civil datable de la fin du XIIe ou au début du XIIIe s. Intégré dans une phase du circuit défensif du bourg, et faisant probablement partie du prieuré, il conserve la plupart de ses enduits peints intérieurs. Il a été partiellement reconstruit au cours du XVe s. pour créer un logement sur quatre niveaux. Il resta en cet état jusqu'à la Révolution où il fut alors, semble-t-il, aménagé en école. Le deuxième édifice est une grange construite au XVIe s. qui abrite un pressoir à roue vers le XIXe s. Le mur sud d'une troisième structure située entre les deux a également été étudié. Quelques éléments observés dans sa maçonnerie suggèrent que l'ensemble bâti du Moyen-Âge était plus important et complexe que ne le laissent supposer les vestiges subsistants.