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
- 50.2925, 2.7815
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108061
In the heart of Arras, this building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1920, embodies the Flemish genius of brick and bluestone, a rare example of civil architecture in the Pas-de-Calais region.
History
Over the centuries, Arras has preserved some of the finest examples of civil architecture in northern France. Among them, this building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1920, is an invaluable reminder of the art of building that made the reputation of this town, long the capital of the county of Artois and home to a discerning middle-class merchant. Its silhouette, set within the dense urban fabric of the town centre, contrasts with the famous gabled facades of the Grand-Place and Petite-Place that have made Arras famous throughout Europe. What fundamentally sets this building apart from ordinary buildings is the quality of its architectural layout and the coherence of its volumes, typical of the large middle-class residences or trading houses that flourished in the region. The architecture of the town of Arras, shaped by Flemish and Spanish influences inherited from successive periods of domination, can be seen here in the mastery of proportions, the regularity of the openings and the care given to the decorative details of the bay frames. To visit this building is to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a city that has managed to recover from destruction to reassert its architectural identity. Its classification as a Historic Monument, obtained in 1920 - in the immediate aftermath of the First World War, which devastated the region - testifies to the authorities' determination to preserve, at all costs, an architectural heritage that had been weakened by the bombardments. This gesture of preservation gives the building a particularly strong symbolic dimension. The urban setting of Arras adds to the interest of the visit: the cobbled streets, medieval arcades and the benevolent shadow of the nearby belfries create a backdrop that transports visitors to another era. This building, part of one of the best-preserved urban ensembles in northern France, deserves to be discovered slowly, façade by façade, detail by detail.
Architecture
The architecture of this building in Arras is in keeping with the great tradition of civil construction in the north of France, characterised by the skilful combination of red brick and blue stone from Pas-de-Calais. This local limestone, quarried in the region since the Middle Ages, gives the window surrounds, quoins and decorative elements the bluish-grey hue that is so characteristic of the built landscape of Arras. The facade, with its regular rhythm of openings, illustrates the concern for social representation that is typical of Flemish bourgeois architecture. The elevation of the building probably follows the traditional layout of town houses in the region: a ground floor, sometimes with arcades or shops, upper storeys with mullioned or transomed windows depending on the period of construction, and an attic level with a gable or mansard roof. The sculpted details of the window surrounds, brackets and cornices are all clues to the precise dating of the various construction and renovation campaigns. Inside, the spatial layout reflects the building's residential or commercial use, with generous volumes, coffered or beamed ceilings depending on the level, and spiral staircases or elaborate banisters that are often the centrepieces of this type of residence. The sturdiness of the building, designed to stand the test of time, partly explains why it survived the destruction of the Great War.
Related Figures
Les drapiers et marchands arrageois des XVe-XVIe siècles, commanditaires probables de l'édificeSébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, maréchal de France, dont les travaux ont transformé le paysage urbain d'Arras au XVIIe siècleMaximilien de Robespierre, avocat et homme politique né à Arras en 1758, figure emblématique de la ville révolutionnaireLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques des années 1920, artisans du classement et de la politique de sauvegarde post-guerreLes architectes du patrimoine du XXe siècle, chargés de la surveillance et de la restauration de l'édifice classé
Tags
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.