Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières, located in Arles (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
- Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.6772, 4.6254
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081153
A jewel of civil architecture in Arles, the Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières reveals the splendour of a Provençal patrician residence, with its sculpted façade and interiors testifying to the refinement of the Arles bourgeoisie under the Ancien Régime.
History
Nestling in the heart of Arles, a city two thousand years old and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières is one of those aristocratic residences that make up the discreet richness of Arles' urban fabric. Away from the main tourist routes, this private mansion reveals to discerning walkers the sober, refined elegance typical of the ruling and trading families who prospered in Provence under the Ancien Régime. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1987, it is part of the civil architectural heritage that is all too often overlooked in favour of the amphitheatres and arenas. What makes the building so special is precisely this stratification of time visible in the stone. Like many of Arles' private mansions, it superimposes a number of influences: the memory of Roman antiquity that is omnipresent in Arles, the architectural vocabulary of the Italian Renaissance introduced to Provence by the great merchant families, and the French classicism that triumphed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The façade, with its measured curves, betrays the taste of a family keen to display its success without excessive ostentation. The experience of visiting this type of Arles residence is one of rediscovered intimacy. You leave behind the hustle and bustle of the main squares to enter a world of cool courtyards, finely moulded lintels and staircases with forged banisters, where every detail tells the story of a family fortune, a marriage alliance or a century of prosperity. The setting in Arles amplifies this impression: the golden, sharp Provençal light cuts through the sculpted reliefs with startling clarity, transforming the slightest cornice into a painting. The surrounding area, between the Boulevard des Lices and the meandering old town, is itself an open-air museum, where Roman remains, medieval chapels and 17th- and 18th-century mansions stand side by side. The Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières is an essential chapter in this uninterrupted history, testifying to the vitality of a city that has managed to survive the centuries while preserving its stone memory.
Architecture
The Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières is typical of the Provencal town house of the 17th and 18th centuries, combining the rigour of French classicism with southern inflections inherited from the Italian Renaissance. The rigorously symmetrical street façade is built around a monumental doorway with a moulded architrave, framed by pilasters and topped by an entablature or pediment whose lines assert the dignity of the owners. The windows with sculpted lintels, arranged in regular bays, bear witness to the care taken in the composition of the elevation. The materials used are those of the Arles building tradition: local limestone, a characteristic golden ochre, cut with precision by craftsmen who inherited centuries of know-how, from the Roman builders to the journeymen of the Provençal Renaissance. The roof, probably made of canal tiles, is in keeping with the Mediterranean tradition that distinguishes southern architecture from that north of the Loire. The interior layout follows the canonical plan for private mansions: an entrance hall opening onto an inner courtyard or garden, reception rooms on the first floor, bedrooms on the upper floors, and the common areas at the back of the plot. The grand staircase, the centrepiece of any quality residence, would have a flight of wrought iron or stone handrails, with landings opening onto the different levels. These interior features - wood panelling, sculpted mantelpieces and herringbone parquet flooring - are essential markers of the residence's refinement.
Related Figures
Famille Perrin de Jonquières — commanditaires et premiers propriétaires de la demeure, représentants de la bourgeoisie arlésienne prospèreArtisans tailleurs de pierre arlésiens des XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles — auteurs de la décoration sculptée de la façadeConsuls d'Arles — élite municipale dont les Perrin de Jonquières faisaient vraisemblablement partieInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques — auteurs de l'étude ayant conduit à l'inscription de 1987
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières located?
Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières is located in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières built?
Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières open to visitors?
Hôtel Perrin de Jonquières is currently closed to visitors.
