Maison d'Aix-en-Provence
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison d'Aix-en-Provence, located in Aix-en-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
- Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.5312, 5.4494
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081086
An elegant 18th-century mansion in Aix-en-Provence, listed as a Historic Monument, embodying the Provençal art of living with its pale stonework and refined proportions, in the heart of Cézanne’s city.
History
In the urban fabric of Aix-en-Provence, a town where limestone has dictated the law for centuries, this 18th-century house is one of those discreet jewels that underpin the incomparable character of the historic centre. Its protection as a Historic Monument since 1929 bears witness to the value that experts recognised very early on, long before the preservation of vernacular heritage became a national priority. What sets this residence apart from the ordinary buildings of the period is the mastery with which its builders combined the influences of French classicism with Provençal construction traditions. The softness of the local limestone, the measured height of the ceilings, the layout of the openings calculated to filter the Mediterranean light while preserving the coolness of the summer - these are all architectural solutions that reveal a building culture deeply rooted in its region. In the 18th century, Aix-en-Provence was a bustling city. As the capital of the Parliament of Provence, it attracted a wealthy nobility of the robe and a cultivated bourgeoisie who competed in the art of building private mansions and town houses. It was against this backdrop of architectural emulation that this residence was built, reflecting the aspirations of a provincial society that looked to Paris without denying its southern roots. To visit this house is to immerse yourself in the everyday life of baroque and classical Aix, far from the splendour of the grand mansions on the Cours Mirabeau. The building offers a more intimate view of the architecture of Aix, as seen in the narrow streets and shady squares where the Provencal sun plays with the painted wooden shutters and dressed stone lintels. An invaluable stop-off for anyone wishing to understand the successive layers of urban history in this exceptional city.
Architecture
This eighteenth-century house in Aix is in the classical architectural tradition of Provence, with a well-ordered facade in Saint-Marc limestone or Bibémus limestone - the golden-brown stone that gives Aix its distinctive character. The elevation, probably on three levels (ground floor, one or two upper floors and attic), follows the rules of composition in force: rectangular windows of regular proportions, separated by masonry trumeaux, crowned with pediments or soberly moulded lintels. The sculpted details - brackets, ornate keystones, cornice modelling - bear witness to the skills of the journeymen stonemasons working in Provence at the time. The interior layout follows the functional logic of middle-class houses of the period: a central entrance leading to a staircase with straight or quarter-turned flights, adjoining reception rooms on the first floor, with service areas relegated to the back of the plot or to the upper levels. The ceilings, potentially decorated with stucco or cameo paintings in the noble rooms, herringbone parquet flooring and veined marble fireplaces are typical decorative features found in this type of 18th-century residence in Aix. In terms of urban layout, the house fits into the tight grid of the old centre of Aix, whose blocks inherited from the medieval plan were gradually restructured in the 17th and 18th centuries. The low-sloped roof, as is customary in the Provençal tradition, is covered in Roman tiles that continue the dialogue between the building and the surrounding built landscape.
Related Figures
Les bâtisseurs anonymes du XVIIIe siècle — maçons et tailleurs de pierre provençaux formés aux ateliers locauxLe premier propriétaire commanditaire, vraisemblablement un magistrat ou un bourgeois lié au Parlement de Provence d'AixLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription en 1929Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) — contemporain emblématique d'Aix dont l'œuvre a contribué à la renommée mondiale de la ville et de son patrimoineMichel Mazarin (1648-1746) — archevêque d'Aix initiateur des grandes campagnes d'urbanisme qui façonnèrent la ville classique
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison d'Aix-en-Provence located?
Maison d'Aix-en-Provence is located in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Maison d'Aix-en-Provence built?
Maison d'Aix-en-Provence dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison d'Aix-en-Provence open to visitors?
Maison d'Aix-en-Provence is currently closed to visitors.