Hôtel Louvre et Paix (ancien) ou Hôtel dit de La Marine
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel Louvre et Paix (ancien) ou Hôtel dit de La Marine, located in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.2970, 5.3784
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081351
A Haussmannian jewel in the Old Port, the former Hôtel Louvre et Paix embodies the golden age of Marseille's Second Empire: a listed monumental façade, gilding and mirrors worthy of the great European palaces.
History
At the heart of Rue Canebière, the legendary thoroughfare leading down to the Old Port, the former Hôtel Louvre et Paix - now known as the Hôtel de la Marine - stands out as one of the most eloquent testimonies to Marseille's architectural ambitions in the 19th century. Built in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, at a time of unprecedented commercial and demographic expansion linked to the opening of the Suez Canal, the building embodies the desire of a commercial city to rival the great hotels of Paris and London. What makes this monument truly unique is the successful synthesis between Second Empire pomp and the demands of a cosmopolitan clientele. Greek and Armenian merchants, officers of the French Navy, travellers bound for India or North Africa: the establishment's guest list alone is a Mediterranean adventure novel. The reception rooms, with their gilded stuccowork and dark wood panelling, are reminiscent of the great Hausmannian brasseries, while the rooms on the upper floors are said to offer uninterrupted views of the harbour and the Château d'If. Today's visitors are struck by the contrast between the commercial vitality of the ground floor - long occupied by lively arcades - and the solemnity of the preserved reception areas. Strolling through the corridors is like encountering the ghosts of shipowners' dinners and mistral-filled nights when the shutters flapped over the gas-lit Canebière. Lovers of nineteenth-century architecture will find this a particularly readable stone book. The hotel's urban setting adds to its appeal, with the Old Port, MuCEM and La Major just a stone's throw away, making it a natural stop-off on any heritage tour of Marseille. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1982, the building is protected to ensure the longevity of its façades and its most remarkable interiors.
Architecture
The building is part of the Second Empire eclectic movement, characterised by a skilful combination of neoclassical references and late Baroque details typical of the great hotel buildings of the 1860s and 1880s. The facade, spread over several bays punctuated by Corinthian pilasters and projecting entablatures, has a typical tripartite layout: a commercial arcaded base, a central body with windows framed by crossettes, and an attic crown with balustrade and finials. The materials used reflect the richness of the commission. Cassis stone - a light-coloured limestone typical of the Marseilles region - forms the main framework of the façades, while ornaments in staff and cast iron enhance the balcony brackets, mascarons and decorative cartouches. Inside, the large reception areas on the ground and first floors combine Carrara marble columns, painted coffered ceilings, free-standing mirrors and herringbone parquet flooring, all of which meet the standards of the best Parisian establishments of the period. The interior layout follows the classic plan of the great hotels of the 19th century: a central hall leading to a double spiral staircase, reception rooms and dining rooms in a row overlooking the main street, rooms distributed by long corridors served by one or more hydraulic lifts. This layout, which is both functional and representative, bears witness to a mature approach to programming, a direct descendant of the theories of hotel architecture developed by the École des Beaux-Arts.
Related Figures
Napoléon III — dont la politique de grands travaux urbains crée le contexte dans lequel l'hôtel est érigéLe préfet Eugène de Maupas — figure de l'autorité impériale à Marseille dans les années 1850-1860, promoteur des transformations de la CanebièreLes armateurs de la Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes — clients réguliers et financeurs indirects du prestige de l'établissementFrédéric Mistral — le poète provençal, figure tutélaire de la culture régionale, fréquentait les salons littéraires des grands hôtels marseillaisÉdouard Herriot — homme d'État de la IIIe République dont les séjours à Marseille lors de missions officielles passaient volontiers par les palaces de la CanebièreLes négociants grecs du quartier de la Joliette — communauté influente dont les représentants faisaient du Louvre et Paix leur salon d'affaires favori
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel Louvre et Paix (ancien) ou Hôtel dit de La Marine located?
Hôtel Louvre et Paix (ancien) ou Hôtel dit de La Marine is located in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Hôtel Louvre et Paix (ancien) ou Hôtel dit de La Marine built?
Hôtel Louvre et Paix (ancien) ou Hôtel dit de La Marine dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Hôtel Louvre et Paix (ancien) ou Hôtel dit de La Marine open to visitors?
Hôtel Louvre et Paix (ancien) ou Hôtel dit de La Marine is currently closed to visitors.