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
- 50.2917, 2.7809
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108036
A testament to the civil architecture of Arras, this building has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1920 and embodies the discreet elegance of the Flemish facades that have made the Grand-Place d'Arras so famous.
History
Arras is one of France's most remarkable cities for its civil architectural heritage, and its listed buildings are the quintessence of this. Nestling in the heart of the Pas-de-Calais region, the city of the Atrebates has managed to preserve, despite the ravages of two world wars, an urban fabric of rare stylistic coherence, dominated by the Baroque and late Baroque gabled facades that are the pride of the region. The building, listed since 7 February 1920, is fully in keeping with the Flemish architectural tradition that sets Arras apart from all other towns in northern France. What makes this building so special is precisely the fact that it is part of an urban ensemble that is unique in Europe. The arcaded houses of Arras, with their high stepped or scrolled gables, their pilasters and their mullioned windows, make up a theatre of stone and brick, with each building being both an individual work and part of a great architectural concert. The early classification of 1920, in the aftermath of the Great War that had devastated the town, testifies to the authorities' determination to preserve a heritage that was then in danger of disappearing forever. To visit this building is to immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of the old cloth-making towns of the north, where the flourishing trade of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance left indelible marks in the stone. The arcades on the ground floor, which once allowed merchants to move around and protected shoppers from the elements, evoke an intense economic life and an urban organisation that was surprisingly modern for its time. The setting for this building is itself exceptional. Arras' main squares - the Grand-Place and the Place des Héros - form one of the best-preserved Baroque ensembles in the north of France, part of which is listed as a World Heritage Site. To stand in front of this façade is to gaze across centuries of commercial, social and artistic history, in a town that has risen from its ashes with remarkable fidelity to its identity.
Architecture
The architecture of this building in Arras is in the tradition of the arcaded houses typical of the city's main squares, a style that borrows as much from the Flemish Gothic heritage as from Renaissance influences from Italy and the Spanish Netherlands. The facade is distinguished by the rhythmic alternation of white limestone pilasters and dark red brick infills, this two-colour scheme being one of the most recognisable visual signatures of Arras' heritage. On the ground floor, the semi-circular or basket-handle arches rest on sturdy pillars and form a covered gallery that extends the public space while protecting residents and passers-by. The upper floors are punctuated by large stone cross-headed windows, sometimes adorned with mouldings and sculpted pediments, which let generous amounts of light into the flats. The gable, the most spectacular feature of the façade, adopts the stepped or scrolled form typical of Flemish Baroque, crowning the whole with an instantly recognisable silhouette against the backdrop of the northern sky. The materials used - local limestone bluestone, Flemish-fired brick and natural slate roofing - are typical of regional craftsmanship and give the building a robustness that has stood the test of time. The sculpted details of the capitals, cornices and window surrounds bear witness to the skills of the stonemasons of Arras, trained in a craft tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages.
Related Figures
Les maîtres drapiers et marchands arrageois des XVe-XVIe siècles, commanditaires des grandes façades de la placeLes architectes-entrepreneurs flamands actifs à Arras sous la domination bourguignoise et espagnoleMaximilien de Robespierre, natif d'Arras, qui a grandi dans l'atmosphère de ces immeubles à arcadesLes architectes de la reconstruction de l'entre-deux-guerres, chargés de restituer le visage historique de la villeLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques des années 1920, artisans du classement précoce du patrimoine arrageois
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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.