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
- 50.2909, 2.7790
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108138
In the heart of Arras, this building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1920, embodies the civil architecture of northern France, with its Hainaut bluestone facades and arcades typical of the medieval squares of Arras.
History
Arras, the capital of Pas-de-Calais, is one of the French towns with the most coherent and spectacular civil architectural heritage. Within this exceptional urban fabric, this building, classified as a Historic Monument by decree on 7 February 1920, occupies a prime position, bearing witness to the long building tradition of a city that was, from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, one of the most influential economic and artistic metropolises in the Flemish region. The building is part of the large family of arcaded buildings that characterise the squares of Arras - the Grande Place and the Place des Héros, at the heart of the city. These buildings, the most emblematic of which date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, combine the Flemish Baroque style with classical French influences, offering a visual continuity that is rare in Europe. The white limestone facades, punctuated by pilasters, sculpted cornices and elaborate dormer windows, create a striking architectural dialogue between classical rigour and Nordic decorative fantasy. A visit to this building, or simply observing it from the street, is an invitation to cross the centuries. The arcades on the ground floor, once occupied by shopkeepers and craftsmen, tell the story of the bustling trade in a town that exported its famous tapestries - the "arras" - all over Europe. The upper floors, adorned with mullioned or transomed windows depending on the period of construction, reveal the social hierarchy of their occupants. The light from the north plays a special role in the perception of the building: mornings when the low-angled sun illuminates the limestone, revealing its grain and carvings, are ideal for contemplation and photography. The urban setting of Arras, largely preserved despite the destruction of the two world wars - the town was partially rebuilt identically in the inter-war period - provides an exceptional setting for this building.
Architecture
The building is in the building tradition of the civil facades of northern France and French Flanders, characterised by the use of local limestone extracted from quarries in the Artesian region. The facade, punctuated vertically by pilasters or engaged columns, has several distinct levels: a ground floor with semi-circular or basket-handle arches - the emblematic shape of the commercial buildings of Arras -, upper storeys pierced by cross or mullioned windows, and a crown of elaborate dormers topped by a steeply pitched roof covered with natural slate, in keeping with the northern tradition. The sculpted decoration is restrained but of high quality, blending classical references - pilasters with Ionic or Corinthian capitals, moulded entablatures, modillion cornices - with touches of Flemish Baroque influence in the treatment of the dormers and window surrounds. The materials used - ashlar for the structure and ornamentation, slate for the roof - correspond to the standards of bourgeois civil architecture in the region between the 17th and 18th centuries. The interior, although poorly documented in the available sources, must have had the typical features of this type of tenement building: a stone staircase with balusters leading to the various floors, adjoining rooms with plenty of light on the street side, and barrel-vaulted cellars, essential for storing goods in a commercial town. These cellars, dug into the chalk subsoil of Arras, form a remarkable underground network - the famous Arras "boves" - which in itself constitutes a unique archaeological heritage.
Related Figures
Les comtes d'Artois — seigneurs médiévaux qui présidèrent à l'essor économique et architectural d'ArrasMaximilien de Robespierre — avocat arragois (1758-1794), figure de la Révolution dont l'influence marqua profondément la villeLouis XIV — roi sous lequel Arras fut définitivement rattachée à la France en 1659, déclenchant une vaste campagne de construction et de réaménagement urbainVauban — ingénieur militaire de Louis XIV qui fortifia Arras et contribua à sa transformation urbaine après 1659Les architectes de la reconstruction (1920-1930) — équipes qui restaurèrent ou reconstruisirent à l'identique les façades d'Arras après la Grande GuerreLes marchands drapiers médiévaux — bourgeoisie commerçante dont la prospérité finança la construction des immeubles civils arragois
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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.