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
- 50.2904, 2.7786
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108119
In the heart of the historic centre of Arras, this building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1920, embodies the elegance of Flemish civil architecture, with its stepped gables and limestone facades typical of Artesian Flanders.
History
Arras, the capital of the Pas-de-Calais region, is world-famous for its two main squares - the Grand'Place and the Place des Héros - lined with a string of Flemish houses ranked among the finest architectural ensembles in northern France. It is in this exceptional context that this building, listed as a Historic Monument, stands as a precious witness to several centuries of urban history and craftsmanship. The uniqueness of this building lies in the fact that it belongs to a distinctly Artesian architectural tradition, inherited from the intense cultural and commercial exchanges between the Spanish Netherlands and the Kingdom of France. Its façade, punctuated by pilasters and crowned by a characteristic gable, is in harmony with the neighbouring buildings, while at the same time asserting its own identity. Every sculpted detail and every moulding testifies to the mastery of the local masons and the wealth of the merchants who commissioned these homes over the centuries. The experience of visiting this building and its neighbourhood is one of total immersion in the soul of Artois. The soft, pearly light from the north plays on the blond sandstone and brick façades, revealing reliefs and ornamentation that you discover as you stroll along. The arcades on the ground floor, typical of Artois architecture, create a covered space that invites you to stroll around whatever the season. Classified on 17 January 1920 by ministerial decree, this building was one of the first to be protected as part of Arras' built heritage following the destruction of the First World War. The fact that it survived the bombardments is in itself a form of miracle, and its early protection testifies to the determination of the authorities to preserve the surviving witnesses of the historic urban fabric. Today, it is helping to make Arras one of the towns with the most listed monuments in the Hauts-de-France region.
Architecture
The architecture of this building is in the great tradition of Flemish and Artesian civil architecture, characterised by the combination of brick and local white limestone, stepped or scrolled gables and semi-circular arches on the ground floor. This system of covered arcades, known locally as "corons" or simply "arcades", is the hallmark of the buildings in the main squares of Arras: it enabled merchants to display their wares sheltered from the elements, while at the same time creating a semi-public space in the street. The façade, divided into several regular bays, has a typical three-storey elevation: an arched ground floor, a first floor with mullioned or transomed windows, and a second floor or attic lit by sculpted stone dormer windows. The pilasters that punctuate the façade, often of Doric or Ionic order, betray a classical influence from France and Italy, while the lively gabled roof recalls the architectural traditions of the Netherlands. The materials used - limestone sandstone for the decorative elements and brick for the infill - are typical of the region. The interior, in keeping with 17th and 18th century bourgeois practice, would have featured vast reception rooms on the first floor, with beamed or coffered ceilings, carved stone fireplaces and painted woodwork. The vaulted cellars, often linked to the underground passages that criss-cross the Arras subsoil, were essential storage areas for trade. These boves, a unique network of medieval underground galleries, are one of the most astonishing features of Arras' underground heritage.
Related Figures
Robespierre (Maximilien de) — né à Arras en 1758, figure emblématique de la Révolution française, dont la ville porte l'empreinte mémorielleJoseph Le Bon — représentant en mission à Arras sous la Terreur, responsable de nombreuses exécutions dans la villeLes échevins d'Arras — magistrats municipaux qui supervisèrent la construction et l'embellissement des grandes places aux XVIIe et XVIIIe sièclesLes drapiers et négociants artésiens — commanditaires des grandes demeures bourgeoises du centre historique, moteurs de la prospérité urbaine médiévale et moderneLes architectes locaux de la reconstruction (1919-1930) — maîtres d'œuvre anonymes qui relevèrent Arras après la Grande Guerre en s'appuyant sur les modèles classés
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.