The house stands on a street running at right angles to the old Grand'Rue, crossing the historic centre from north to south. The French name of the street is that of the person who commissioned the building work. Of Italian origin, Cardinal Orsini was in office between the 13th and 14th centuries, playing a significant role under eight popes and directly influencing the appointment of several of these. He was quick to move to France, devoting most of his life to the country. When the papacy made Avignon its seat, it was only natural that Monsignor Orsini should settle in the region.
In 1321, he ordered the construction of a palace in Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, of which only a few walls remain today. He played a crucial role for the city of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, initiating a number of defensive works, such as the creation of moats around the ramparts, and contributing to the restoration of the main hospital with a view to improving public health.
The southern elevation on the street side is partly rendered, revealing a dressed stone structure. The pedestrian doorway is topped by two large cross windows. Edged by a triple cornice of shortened tiles, the gable roof with monk-and-nun tiles conceals the rest of the property. Three additional buildings are arranged around a central courtyard, each of distinctive architectural interest. However, the most intriguing feature is to be found on the first floor, facing west: a “logette” (small cell-like room with a large window) built of terracotta brick supported by a chestnut beam, probably dating from the 16th century.
Behind the noble street facade, the other elevations of the house are of more rustic local stone. These walls are punctuated by large French windows allowing generous sunlight to pour into the various rooms of the dwelling. The living area extends over two levels above the cellars.

The house

The ground floor
A pedestrian door from the street leads to an entrance hall with a quadripartite stone vault, which was repointed during the restoration works and provides a warm welcome for guests before they enter the inner courtyard. From here, a flight of external steps leads to a south-facing door opening onto a landing. Opposite, an old stone sink has been cleverly preserved. To the west, a dressed limestone staircase leads to the only bedroom on the ground floor, while a passageway to the east links the living rooms on this level. The first of these is the sitting room, with its quarter-turn wooden staircase. The other rooms are on the north side: a dining room with a fireplace and an exposed roof boards, followed by the kitchen in the north section, which closes off this part of the dwelling. There are numerous windows and glass doors opening onto the courtyard or the street. The floors are laid with terracotta tiles.
The upstairs
The next level is divided into two completely independent sections. At the top of the southern staircase, of dressed stone, a landing provides access on one side to a generously sunlit bedroom with two large cross windows and a remarkably well-preserved floor with a chequered pattern. On the other side, in the "logette", there is a shower room with toilet. The second section is accessed via the quarter-turn wooden staircase, which starts in the sitting room. A landing leads on either side to two bedrooms with sloping ceilings, along with a bathroom containing a toilet in the northern section, and a study in the room to the south, which could be converted into an additional shower room if required.