Hôtel dit de Lancrau
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel dit de Lancrau, located in Angers (Maine-et-Loire), 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
- Angers, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.4730, -0.5490
- Mérimée Reference
- PA49000015
A discreet gem of the Second Angevin Renaissance, the Hôtel de Lancrau, situated between its courtyard and garden, exudes a sober, aristocratic elegance; it was built for a mayor of Angers in the late 16th century.
History
At the heart of the old Halles district of Anjou and the town hall, the Hôtel de Lancrau stands like a well-kept secret away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist trade. This private mansion, built in the second half of the 16th century, embodies with rare consistency the principles of the Second French Renaissance as it flourished in Anjou: sober decoration, balanced volumes and refinement in detail rather than ostentation. What really sets this monument apart from other Renaissance residences in Maine-et-Loire is its canonical layout of a hotel between courtyard and garden, a spatial arrangement inherited from the great residences of the Loire region, which organises domestic life around a logical progression: from the street to the paved courtyard, then to the flats, and finally to the garden. The second storey - an unusual arrangement that gives the building unexpected height and majesty - immediately signals that this is a prestigious residence. The experience of visiting the building is as much one of architectural meditation as it is of historical walking. The courtyard façade, with its rhythmic bays and finely moulded cross-headed windows, invites you to decipher the classical vocabulary that Anjou's builders assimilated from the workshops of the Loire Valley. The proportions are skilful without being cold, and the tufa stone, the region's king material, gives the whole a characteristic golden glow. Integrated into a dense and lively urban fabric, the Hôtel de Lancrau benefits from a setting that reinforces its character: the surrounding streets are reminiscent of the merchant and administrative Angers of the time of the Valois and the first Bourbons, a period when the local elite vied with each other in refinement to demonstrate their rank in the city of the Loire.
Architecture
The Hôtel de Lancrau is fully in keeping with the French tradition of the private mansion set between courtyard and garden, a style that triumphed in Paris and the major provincial towns during the Renaissance. The main building separates the main courtyard, which opens onto the street through a gate, and the private garden to the rear, creating a series of spaces characteristic of the domestic architecture of the 16th century. The original layout of the second floor - rather than the more usual first floor - accentuates the verticality of the façade and gives the building a taller, more solemn appearance than was customary for a mansion of the period. The decorative vocabulary is reminiscent of the Second French Renaissance, the mature phase of the style that, after the exuberance of the first half of the 16th century, adopted a restraint and sobriety closer to the Vitruvian precepts. The façades most likely feature lancet windows framed by pilasters, moulded cornices and a rhythmic treatment of the bays that betrays a familiarity with the architectural treatises disseminated by the printing press. Tuffeau stone, a soft, light-coloured limestone typical of the Anjou region, is the main building material, giving the building the luminous creamy-white hue characteristic of Loire architecture.
Related Figures
Bitault de la Rambardière — maire d'Angers, commanditaire et premier propriétaire de l'hôtel, bâtisseur entre 1571 et 1589Les maçons et tailleurs de pierre angevins anonymes — artisans de la Seconde Renaissance locale, formés aux chantiers du Val de LoirePropriétaire Lancrau — figure locale dont le nom s'est attaché à la demeure, possiblement un officier ou notable post-Renaissance
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel dit de Lancrau located?
Hôtel dit de Lancrau is located in Angers, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Hôtel dit de Lancrau built?
Hôtel dit de Lancrau dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel dit de Lancrau open to visitors?
Hôtel dit de Lancrau is currently closed to visitors.