Rare Gothic house, art and history in Perignan, with an elegant patio, once consisted of warehouses and a vaulted cellar
A Perpignan art and history museum, Casa Xanxo is one of the few remaining Gothic houses in Perpignan, with a 20-meter brick façade. Built in 1507 by the wealthy Catalan cloth merchant Bernat Xanxo, it reflects his commercial success, and once consisted of warehouses and a vaulted cellar. The house features numerous representations of him and his wife Elisabeth. The house has undergone few changes over the centuries, and the recently renovated facade retains a 16th-century carved frieze depicting the 7 deadly sins and hell (poetically known in the Middle Ages as the "Cavalcade of Vices"): conceived in two parts, it represents a warning against the sins from which every good Christian should free himself. On the left, pride (the lion), laziness and avarice (the money-changer with the owl at his side) are symbolized... On the right is Hell. The two scenes are linked by a rope on which the devils of hell try to lure away the characters who have succumbed to the 7 deadly sins. The first floor features beautiful Gothic vaulted ceilings and an elegant patio. Upstairs, the salons have been renovated after 18 months' work. The imposing relief plan of the city of Perpignan, a copy of the one produced under Louis XIV, can be seen here; the original is in the Musée des Invalides in Paris.
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