HEAD HOUSE
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The Maison des Têtes, an architectural jewel combining flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance in Valence.
It's one of the emblems, one of the jewels and one of the best-known monuments in Valence's old town. You can't miss its remarkably elaborate facade, with its moldings, sculptures, medallions and mullioned windows. This former mansion, a jewel of early 16th-century architecture, heralds the Renaissance style. The Maison des Têtes owes its name to the many head sculptures that adorn its façade, symbolizing the winds, theology, law and medicine. In the inner courtyard, the corridor is adorned with busts of Roman emperors and the gallery with medallions depicting the Fathers of the Church. The house was commissioned around 1530 by Antoine de Dorne, university professor and consul of Valence, on his return from Italy. He had been seduced by the flamboyant architecture of that country. In 1794, the mansion was purchased by the widow of bookseller Pierre Aurel, whose son, a close friend of the young Bonaparte garrisoned in Valence, was recruited as chief printer for the Egyptian army. A painting of Bonaparte leaving the Maison des Têtes exists. The town of Valence, which has owned the Maison des Têtes since 1960, is committed to preserving and promoting the building. Following major renovations, it now houses the Architecture and Heritage Interpretation Center (Pays d'art et d'histoire, Valence Romans Agglo), which presents exhibitions, workshops and guided tours of the city.
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