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
- 50.2910, 2.7783
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108097
In the heart of Arras, this building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1919, embodies Flemish architectural genius, with its baroque limestone façade, arcaded galleries and stepped gables typical of the Grand-Places of the North.
History
Arras is one of the few towns in France to have preserved an urban ensemble of such striking architectural coherence, and this listed building is one of its silent jewels. Nestling in the tightly woven fabric of the streets and squares for which the capital of the Pas-de-Calais is famous, it bears witness to the bourgeois building culture that flourished in the former Spanish Netherlands between the 17th and 18th centuries, combining Artois bluestone, baked brick and stucco on the facades. What makes this monument so unique is first and foremost its perfect integration into the urban landscape of Arras, while at the same time bearing the distinct traces of an ancient merchant prosperity. The stepped gabled facades - typical of Flemish architecture - interact with the arcades on the ground floor, a legacy of the commercial loggias that housed clothiers and grain merchants during the great medieval fairs. Every sculpted detail, every pilaster and every modenature tells the story of a time when Arras rivalled Bruges and Ghent in opulence. Stopping in front of this building is like reading an open book on several centuries of economic and social history in northern France. The play of light at the end of the afternoon, when the low-angled sun gilds the limestone, reveals the finesse of the sculpted reliefs on the façade and transforms the street into a baroque theatre set. Urban photography enthusiasts and history buffs alike will find this a subject of unsuspected richness. The immediate setting further enhances the experience: Arras, rebuilt with remarkable fidelity after the destruction of the First World War, offers an exceptional urban setting. The neighbouring Grand-Place and Petite-Place, with their 155 arcaded facades listed by UNESCO as a serial site, form the natural backdrop to this building, which is part of one of the best-preserved Baroque ensembles in Northern Europe.
Architecture
The building is in the great tradition of Flemish-Artesian civil architecture, characterised by a facade of white Artois limestone (sometimes combined with brick) punctuated vertically by pilasters or engaged columns, and punctuated horizontally by moulded stone bands separating the levels. The ground floor probably has a semi-circular or basket-handle arch, a direct legacy of the medieval commercial loggias that lined the market squares of Arras - an arrangement that is found almost systematically in the listed buildings of the Grand-Place and Petite-Place. The street façade is topped by a stepped or scrolled gable - an undeniable signature of Flemish Baroque - whose sculpted stone railings form a slender profile against the northern sky. The windows, either mullioned or transomed depending on the period of construction, are framed with crossettes or profiled architraves, and some bays may feature cartouches or mascarons reflecting the ornamental taste of the 17th or early 18th centuries. The roofs, with their steep slopes typical of the northern climate, were traditionally covered with natural slate or flat tiles. Inside, the layout followed the usual pattern for merchant houses: a ground floor given over to trade or crafts, with the upper levels reserved for the owner's family home, with reception rooms on the street frontage and utility rooms at the back of the plot. The staircases, with their straight flights or stone spiral staircases, were often the only feature of the interior decoration to have been given any architectural attention.
Related Figures
Maximilien de Robespierre — avocat et homme politique originaire d'Arras, figure centrale de la Révolution française, dont l'environnement urbain natal inclut les immeubles bourgeois de ce typeJoseph Le Bon — représentant en mission révolutionnaire à Arras, acteur de la Terreur dans le Pas-de-CalaisLes échevins d'Arras (XVIIe s.) — magistrats municipaux qui supervisèrent la réglementation des façades à arcades, imposant l'unité architecturale des placesLes guildes de drapiers arrageois (XIVe-XVIe s.) — corporations à l'origine de la prospérité qui permit la construction de tels immeubles de prestigeAlbert Demangeon — géographe et historien du paysage urbain du Nord, dont les travaux éclairent l'architecture civile flamandePaul Gélis-Didot — inspecteur des Monuments historiques qui contribua aux premières protections du patrimoine arrageois après 1918
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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.