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
- 50.2913, 2.7776
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108079
An architectural gem in the heart of Arras, this building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1926, embodies 18th-century Flemish elegance, with its limestone facades punctuated by arcades and sculpted pilasters typical of the Grand and Petit Places.
History
In the heart of Arras, a city whose architectural prestige extends far beyond the Hauts-de-France region, a number of listed buildings bear witness to a building tradition of a consistency and richness that is rare in Europe. Protected by ministerial decree since 28 December 1926, this building is part of the exceptional urban fabric formed by the Baroque and Flemish squares of Arras, a veritable stone lesson in several centuries of history. What really sets this building apart is that it is part of an architectural grammar that is unique to the Arras region: arcades on the ground floor forming continuous porticoes, facades in carefully dressed local limestone, sculpted dormers and ornate pediments that give the buildings of Arras their distinctive silhouette. Each façade is a showcase for the skills of Flemish master builders, influenced as much by the Spanish traditions inherited from the domination of the Southern Netherlands as by the French classicism in vogue at the time of its construction. A visit to this building, even from the street, offers a highly intense architectural experience. The proportions of the bays, the quality of the modenature and the subtlety of the sculpted stone ornamentation invite patient and rewarding reading. For the discerning visitor, every detail - cornice, fanlight, pilaster, keystone - tells a story of prosperous trade, ambitious local bourgeoisie and master masons trained at the best schools in the North. The general setting of Arras, with its famous Grand'Place and Place des Héros entirely rebuilt as they were after the destruction of the First World War, amplifies the feeling of being immersed in a living, inhabited urban ensemble. This building is not a frozen vestige: it is part of the daily life of the town, while at the same time bearing within its walls the memory of several centuries of Artois.
Architecture
The building is in the Flemish and Baroque architectural tradition typical of Arras squares, with a facade of white limestone or limestone sandstone from the region, finely carved and crafted by specialist artisans. The ground floor is punctuated by semi-circular or basket-handle arches resting on square pillars, forming a portico that runs the length of the square - a functional feature inherited from the merchant traditions of the North. The upper storeys have a classical layout of regular bays, punctuated by engaged pilasters with elaborate capitals. The rectangular mullioned windows are topped by alternating triangular and arched pediments decorated with sculpted motifs: cartouches, festoons, mascarons or plant motifs. The steep-sloped roof, typical of Nordic architecture, is pierced by pedimented dormers whose silhouette contributes to the distinctive line of Arras' roofs. Inside, the traditional layout of this type of commercial and residential building features reception rooms on the upper floors, with French ceilings adorned with mouldings, while the rear floors house corridors and kitchens. The whole bears witness to a mastery of construction that combines French classical rigour with Flemish decorative sensibility, a synthesis that is both original and seductive in the civil architecture of Arras.
Related Figures
Maximilien de Robespierre — natif d'Arras, figure de la Révolution française, dont la ville et ses immeubles portent la mémoireLouis XIV — dont la politique d'annexion de l'Artois (traité des Pyrénées, 1659) encadra l'essor architectural d'ArrasMaîtres maçons flamands des XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles — artisans anonymes à l'origine du bâti exceptionnel des places d'ArrasNégociants bourgeois arrageois du XVIIIe siècle — commanditaires de ces immeubles de commerce et d'habitationArchitectes de la reconstruction (années 1920) — responsables de la restauration à l'identique des façades après la Grande Guerre
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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.