Hôtel Lisleferme
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel Lisleferme, 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
- 44.8485, -0.5800
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083198
An elegant Bordeaux town house dating from the late 18th century, the Hôtel Lisleferme is a refined embodiment of the French art of living under Louis XVI, in a city at the height of its commercial splendour.
History
At the turn of the 18th century, Bordeaux was not only France's leading port - it was also one of Europe's capitals of civil architecture. Against this backdrop of building effervescence, which saw the emergence of the grand façades of the Cours de l'Intendance and the private mansions of the Chartrons district, the Hôtel Lisleferme is one of the most intact examples of Bordeaux's golden age. What sets the Hôtel Lisleferme apart from the city's many aristocratic residences is precisely the consistency of its Louis-Seizian stylistic vocabulary: sober lines, rigorous symmetry, restrained chiselled ornamentation - all characteristics that reflect the transition from exuberant rococo to incipient neoclassicism. Where other facades gave way to the volutes and fantasies of the Regent, this one displays a restrained, almost philosophical elegance, in keeping with the spirit of the Enlightenment. For the attentive visitor, a visit to the Hôtel Lisleferme is like entering into the intimacy of a great Bordeaux family of the Age of Enlightenment. The interior spaces, designed to accommodate reception rooms and ceremonial flats, evoke a refined sociability where merchants enriched by colonial trade, parliamentarians and enlightened minds met. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1935, the building's protection bears witness to France's precocious heritage awareness of eighteenth-century civil architecture in Bordeaux. This official recognition places the Hôtel Lisleferme on the long list of discreet gems that make Bordeaux - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - a city to be discovered facade by facade, courtyard by courtyard.
Architecture
The Hôtel Lisleferme is fully in keeping with the tradition of Bordeaux civil architecture at the end of the Ancien Régime, characterised by a sober, symmetrical composition inherited from French classicism and modulated by the neoclassical influences that swept through Europe between 1770 and 1790. The façade, laid out according to the canons of Louis XVI, favours regular bays, a hierarchy of levels and measured ornamentation: pilasters with Ionic or Corinthian capitals, projecting cornices, delicate pediments crowning the main windows and exquisite wrought ironwork. Limestone from Périgord or the Bordeaux region - the shell limestone with its golden hues that gives Bordeaux its distinctive chromatic unity - is the dominant masonry material. Depending on regional usage and the aesthetics of the time, the roofs are probably covered in flat tiles or slate, with pedimented dormers enlivening the attic line. Inside, the succession of reception rooms and flats follows the canonical layout of the French private mansion: the main building is laid out around a grand staircase with an ironwork banister, the volutes of which bear witness to the skills of 18th-century Bordeaux blacksmiths. The straight-cut mantelpieces, painted panelling and moulded coffered ceilings are all part of an interior décor that is in keeping with the elegant gravity of the Louis-Sebastian era.
Related Figures
La famille Lisleferme — commanditaires présumés de l'édifice, vraisemblablement issus de la bourgeoisie parlementaire ou négoçiante bordelaise du XVIIIe siècleLouis XVI — monarque sous le règne duquel l'hôtel fut construit, dont le style architectural porte le nomClaude Boucher, intendant de Guyenne — figure tutélaire de la politique d'embellissement de Bordeaux au milieu du XVIIIe siècleVictor Louis — architecte phare de Bordeaux au XVIIIe siècle, dont l'influence stylistique irradie toute l'architecture civile bordelaise de la périodeRichard de Bury, architecte de la ville de Bordeaux — représentatif des maîtres d'œuvre locaux qui diffusèrent le vocabulaire néoclassique dans les hôtels particuliers girondins
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel Lisleferme located?
Hôtel Lisleferme is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Hôtel Lisleferme built?
Hôtel Lisleferme dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel Lisleferme open to visitors?
Hôtel Lisleferme is currently closed to visitors.