Immeuble dit Restes de la Maison du Roi
MonumentHidden Treasure
Immeuble dit Restes de la Maison du Roi, located in Les Baux-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), 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
- Les Baux-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.7449, 4.7957
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081219
In the heart of the hilltop village of Les Baux-de-Provence, the remains of the Maison du Roi (King's House) stand with their Renaissance arcades facing the abyssal emptiness of the Alpilles, silent witnesses to a seigniorial power that has never been seen again.
History
Clinging to the limestone flanks of the rocky outcrop of Les Baux-de-Provence, the Maison du Roi is one of the most moving architectural fragments in this village, listed as one of the most beautiful in France. It's not a reconstructed château, nor is it an aseptic museum: it's a living ruin, a skeleton of golden stone through which the Alpilles wind flows freely, and whose elaborate arcades still silhouette, against the Provencal sky, the outline of an exceptional seigneurial residence. What makes this monument so special is precisely the fact that it is still in its original state. Unlike the major restorations carried out in the past, which have sometimes erased the authenticity of the Middle Ages, the Maison du Roi retains a roughness, a frankness in its controlled decrepitude, that deeply touches visitors who are sensitive to the patina of time. The mouldings on the mullioned windows, the projecting stringcourses and the remains of the white stone cross-beams bear witness to an architectural refinement that was only waiting to blossom when the Lords of Les Baux ruled over seventy towns and castles in the surrounding area. The visitor experience is inextricably linked to the grandiose setting of Les Baux. Visitors arrive at these ruins after wandering through the narrow streets of the medieval village, past the Town Hall and past the old Renaissance mansions. The Maison du Roi is set against a breathtaking panorama: to the north, the peaks of the Alpilles; to the south, the Crau plain as far as the Camargue. The warm, low-angled morning light is particularly favourable for photography. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1905, the building is protected to ensure the long-term survival of these precious remains. It forms part of the monumental ensemble of the village of Les Baux, one of the most popular archaeological and heritage sites in Provence, where every stone conceals a fragment of medieval and Renaissance history.
Architecture
The architecture of the Maison du Roi is typical of the Provençal Gothic-Renaissance transition, a stylistic trend that developed in the region between the late 15th and mid-16th centuries. The building is made up of several sections organised around a main core, of which all that remains today are sections of wall and decorative elements that nonetheless allow us to reconstitute the nobility of the original programme. Locally quarried white Alpilles limestone is the only material used for the masonry: fine and well-bonded, it takes on hues ranging from milky white to warm gold, depending on the light, contributing to the visual magic of the site. The preserved façades reveal the particular care taken with the openings: the stone mullioned windows, characteristic of the Provencal Renaissance style, are framed with torus and cavet mouldings, with moulded projecting sills. Horizontal string courses in low relief articulate the verticality of the walls and mark the separation of levels. Remains of semi-circular arches and engaged columns can also be seen, indicating a gallery or portico that would have opened the residence onto an exterior space or inner courtyard. The setting on the limestone rock of Les Baux is itself an architectural feature in its own right: the building follows the contours of the land, with foundations cut directly into the living rock. This integration into the geological substratum, typical of buildings on hilltop sites in Provence, gives the ruin a paradoxical solidity and a sense of place in the landscape that transcends the simple notion of a built monument.
Related Figures
Les seigneurs des Baux (XIe-XIVe siècle) — dynasty provençale fondatrice du site et commanditaires des premières constructionsAlix des Baux — dernière représentante de la lignée directe, dont la mort scella le destin de la seigneurie au XIVe siècleRené d'Anjou (1409-1480) — dit le Bon Roi René, l'un des derniers grands princes à avoir exercé une souveraineté sur les Baux avant la réunion à la FranceLouis XI (1423-1483) — roi de France sous le règne duquel la Provence et les Baux furent rattachés à la couronne en 1481Anne de Montmorency (1493-1567) — connétable de France à qui la seigneurie des Baux fut un temps concédée, favorisant les travaux RenaissanceLouis XIII (1601-1643) — ordonna en 1632 la démolition des fortifications des Baux, accélérant le déclin du village et de ses bâtiments
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeuble dit Restes de la Maison du Roi located?
Immeuble dit Restes de la Maison du Roi is located in Les Baux-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Immeuble dit Restes de la Maison du Roi built?
Immeuble dit Restes de la Maison du Roi dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Immeuble dit Restes de la Maison du Roi open to visitors?
Immeuble dit Restes de la Maison du Roi is currently closed to visitors.