Immeuble
Monument
Immeuble, located in Arras (Pas-de-Calais), 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
- Arras, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 50.2926, 2.7800
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108033
In the heart of Arras, this listed building since 1919 embodies Flemish civil architecture in all its splendour, with its sculpted sandstone façade, stepped gables and 17th-century arcades that are the pride of the Grand' and Petite Places.
History
Arras is one of the few French towns to have preserved such a coherent and spectacular body of civil architecture. Within this exceptional urban landscape, the listed buildings of the city of Arras represent the very essence of Flemish civil architecture: generous facades, stepped gables that cut through the northern sky, low arcades forming continuous porticoes where it is pleasant to stroll in all weathers. Classified as a historic monument on 18 December 1919 - barely a year after the armistice of the Great War, which had devastated the region - this building bears witness to the immediate determination of the public authorities to protect what remained of a tried and tested urban heritage. What makes this building unique is its ability to embody both the economic history and the aesthetic ambition of a prosperous merchant town. From the 16th to the 18th century, Arras was one of the great trading centres of the Spanish and then Austrian Netherlands, and its trade buildings reflect this opulence: each façade is an architectural manifesto, playing on registers of local blue stone and brick, combining pilasters, moulded cornices and mullioned windows in a skilful cadence. The visit begins as soon as you step onto the cobblestones of Arras' baroque squares. The arcades of the listed buildings form a covered walkway several hundred metres long, unique in France for its scale and homogeneity. Observing the façades from the central esplanade on a bright morning reveals the full depth of the sculpted reliefs and the subtle shades of materials. At night, the architectural lighting restores all the theatricality of the volumes. The overall setting adds to the intensity of the experience: the squares of Arras are part of a town that was rebuilt identically after 1918, making its reconstruction a major act of heritage. To stroll beneath these arcades is to experience at first hand the resilience of a community that chose to reassert its architectural identity against the ravages of war.
Architecture
The architecture of this building is fully in keeping with the vocabulary of Flemish civil architecture, characterised by a vertical facade punctuated by regular bays, a ground floor with semi-circular arches resting on squat pillars of local bluestone, and upper floors with large stone cross bays. The steeply pitched roof, covered in slate or plain tiles depending on the section, is topped with a stepped gable - a distinctive feature of the Brabant-Flemish style - each step of which is highlighted by a moulded stone grain. Brick, which is omnipresent in the infill walls, works in harmony with the ashlar in the surrounds and cornices to create a warm, contrasting monochrome, typical of the Artois and Hainaut regions. The façades feature extremely fine sculpted decoration: pilasters with composite capitals, friezes of ovals and dentils, ornate cartouches, sometimes masks or coats of arms of guilds, recalling the building's original commercial function. Inside, the different levels are served by spiral or straight staircases, depending on the period of construction, and the ceilings with exposed beams or moulded joists bear witness to the care taken with the reception areas. The vaulted cellars, dug into the artesian limestone subsoil, were once essential storage areas for goods.
Related Figures
Maximilien de Robespierre — natif d'Arras, avocat puis acteur de la Révolution, dont la ville porte indélébilement l'empreinteJoseph Le Bon — représentant en mission à Arras sous la Terreur, figure controversée liée au destin révolutionnaire de la citéLes échevins et négociants arrageois des XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles — commanditaires anonymes des façades à arcadesLes architectes de la reconstruction de l'entre-deux-guerres — maîtres d'œuvre de la restitution à l'identique des places d'Arras après 1918Eugène Viollet-le-Duc — théoricien de la restauration dont les principes ont influencé la doctrine patrimoniale appliquée à ArrasLes maîtres tapissiers arrageois médiévaux — artisans dont la réputation internationale (les « arras ») a fondé la prospérité permettant ces constructions
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeuble located?
Immeuble is located in Arras, Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Immeuble built?
Immeuble dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Immeuble open to visitors?
Immeuble is currently closed to visitors.