Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe dit aussi de Saporta ou de Vitrolles
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe dit aussi de Saporta ou de Vitrolles, located in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.5312, 5.4471
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081025
In the heart of Old Aix, this seventeenth-century town house, remodelled in the eighteenth century, displays the aristocratic grace of Provence in a subtle interplay of blonde stone and ordered facades.
History
The Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe, also known as the Hôtel de Saporta and the Hôtel de Vitrolles, is one of the finest examples of civil architecture in Aix. Built in the historic district of Aix-en-Provence, it embodies with quiet elegance the noble art of living in Provence, halfway between French classical rigour and the sunny warmth of the Midi. Its façade, composed according to the canons of classical layout, reveals to the attentive visitor the marks of a dual ambition: that of the founding seventeenth century, and that of the reforming eighteenth century. What distinguishes this private mansion from its illustrious neighbours on the Cours Mirabeau or Rue Espariat is precisely this superimposition of architectural campaigns visible in the stone. The main buildings, arranged around an interior courtyard characteristic of the Aix style, reflect an aristocratic conception of domestic space where social representation is combined with the art of entertaining. The measured proportions of the mullioned windows, the wrought-iron railings and the soberly sculpted mouldings all contribute to this distinctive identity. For visitors, the experience is as much about the atmosphere of the district as it is about the building itself. To stroll along the cobbled streets that surround it, to look up at its entablatures and sculpted brackets, is to plunge back into the Aix of the parliamentarians and great families of dress who made the city shine in the Age of Enlightenment. The relative silence of this part of Old Aix contrasts with the bustle of the nearby Cours Mirabeau, providing an atmosphere conducive to contemplation. The architectural setting of Aix-en-Provence gives this private mansion an added resonance: the town boasts one of the most remarkable concentrations of 17th and 18th century private mansions in France, and the Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe is one of its finest examples, having been classified as a Historic Monument in 1989.
Architecture
The Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe is part of the great tradition of the French classicist Provencal town house, of which Aix-en-Provence is one of the most accomplished laboratories outside Paris. The general layout, based around an inner courtyard enclosed by a monumental gateway, follows a well-established typological pattern: visitors enter from the street into a paved main courtyard, dominated by the main building, whose façade is designed with particular attention to symmetry and the arrangement of the bays. The main facade displays the stylistic features of the two successive building campaigns. The seventeenth-century elements are recognisable by their solid composition, the sobriety of the window surrounds and the rigour of the cornices. The interventions of the third quarter of the 18th century can be seen in the more flexible ornamentation, the sculpted brackets with plant motifs, the wrought iron railings with their elaborate volutes and the interior decorations characteristic of the late Regency or Louis XV Provencal style. Inside, the main staircase is probably the architectural centrepiece, in keeping with the Aix tradition of using it as a stage for social representation. The reception flats, arranged in a row, undoubtedly feature painted panelling, stuccoed vaulted ceilings and tiled or Provencal marble floors, materials emblematic of the region's grand aristocratic interior. The local blonde stone, which dominates the building, works in harmony with the dark ironwork to create a sober, refined palette of colours.
Related Figures
Famille Boyer de Fonscolombe — famille parlementaire provençale, commanditaires et premiers propriétaires de l'hôtel au XVIIe siècleFamille de Saporta — illustre lignée d'origine italienne établie en Provence, propriétaire successive de l'édificeFamille de Vitrolles — grande famille aristocratique provençale ayant donné son nom à l'hôtel à une période de sa transmissionGaston de Saporta (1823-1895) — paléobotaniste de renom, membre de l'Académie des sciences, issu de la famille éponyme et figure emblématique de la science provençale du XIXe siècleBaron d'Haussez — figure liée aux cercles aristocratiques aixois du XVIIIe siècle fréquentant ce type d'hôtels particuliers
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe dit aussi de Saporta ou de Vitrolles located?
Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe dit aussi de Saporta ou de Vitrolles is located in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe dit aussi de Saporta ou de Vitrolles built?
Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe dit aussi de Saporta ou de Vitrolles dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe dit aussi de Saporta ou de Vitrolles open to visitors?
Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe dit aussi de Saporta ou de Vitrolles is currently closed to visitors.