Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), 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
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8442, -0.5827
- Mérimée Reference
- PA33000235
A discreet jewel of the Bordeaux of the Enlightenment, the Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe reveals the lifestyle of a great 18th-century merchant, with its vast period garden and mysterious chapel with forgotten frescoes.
History
Nestling in the urban fabric of Bordeaux, the Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe is one of those private mansions that silently perpetuate the memory of the Age of Enlightenment. Built between 1762 and 1765, it embodies the opulent discretion of the Bordeaux bourgeoisie, enriched by Atlantic trade and keen to show off its status without excessive ostentation. Its sober, elegant facade, typical of the civil architecture of Gironde in the second half of the 18th century, blends in with the surrounding Haussmannian fabric while asserting its pre-eminence and uniqueness. What makes this hotel truly unique is the depth of its history and the superposition of uses that have succeeded one another over the centuries. Designed for a large landowner who constantly extended its garden outbuildings over three decades, it was then transformed into a boarding school for young girls, a vocation that left a lasting mark on its interior volumes. This stratification of functions - aristocratic residence, educational establishment - can still be seen in the stonework and the spaces. The biggest surprise of the visit is undoubtedly the chapel built in the cellars in the 19th century. Its painted decoration, still partially visible despite the ravages of time, transports visitors into a world of intimate devotion and pious daily life typical of religious institutions of the time. This rare pictorial testimony alone is well worth the diversions. The garden, reconstructed in its broad outline from the vast estate that Jean Léon Dufau de Lamothe had patiently built up plot by plot, offers an unexpected green setting in the heart of the Gironde metropolis. Bordeaux, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its 18th-century urban ensemble, reveals here one of its most intimate and least publicised facets.
Architecture
The Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe is in the tradition of Bordeaux civil architecture from the second half of the 18th century, characterised by sober elegance and a quest for balanced proportions inherited from French classicism. Its facade, probably made of ashlar from the Aquitaine basin - the light, luminous limestone that gives Bordeaux its characteristic golden hue - features a symmetrical composition punctuated by bays with moulded frames and discreet but elaborate modelling. The original two-storey building, topped by a French-style roof, was raised by one storey in the 19th century when it was converted into a boarding school, a change that significantly altered the proportions of the whole, while at the same time testifying to the functional vitality of the building. Inside, the layout of the rooms reflects the customs of the classic Bourdelais residence: a main building organised around a series of reception rooms, with decorative features - wood panelling, stone fireplaces, herringbone parquet flooring - characteristic of the late Louis XV and emerging Louis XVI taste. The cellar, a space usually used to store wines in the Bordeaux context, was remarkably converted from its original function in the 19th century to house a chapel with a painted décor of real artistic quality, whose pious scenes, although altered, retain an undeniable evocative power. The garden, an integral part of the original composition, is a rare example of the art of 18th-century private gardens in Bordeaux. Its design, the result of the patient accumulation of plots over three decades, suggests a French-style design or an evolution towards the picturesque English-style garden, in the spirit of the pleasure gardens favoured by the enlightened bourgeoisie of the time.
Related Figures
Jean Léon Dufau de Lamothe — commanditaire et premier propriétaire, grand bourgeois bordelais ayant constitué la propriété entre 1762 et 1795 environLa fille de Jean Léon Dufau de Lamothe — héritière qui céda la demeure, marquant la fin de la période familialeArchitecte anonyme — concepteur de la bâtisse entre 1762 et 1765, dont l'identité reste à ce jour non établieDirectrice(s) du pensionnat de jeunes filles — responsables de l'institution éducative qui occupa l'hôtel pendant la quasi-totalité du XIXe siècle et fit réaliser les transformations majeures
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe located?
Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe built?
Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe open to visitors?
Hôtel Dufau-Lamothe is currently closed to visitors.
