Maison
Monument
Maison, 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
- 50.2950, 2.7743
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00108130
In the heart of Arras, this 18th-century residence epitomises the elegance of the Flemish bourgeoisie, with its gilded brick façade, classical layout and sculpted decor testifying to a refined provincial art of living.
History
In the urban fabric of Arras, a town whose large arcaded squares have made it famous throughout Europe, this 18th-century house stands out as a sober, elegant example of regional civil architecture. Far from the theatricality of Parisian private mansions, it embodies the prosperous Arras bourgeoisie who, during the Age of Enlightenment, combined Flemish tradition and French classicism in their homes. What makes this house so special is precisely the fact that it is part of an ongoing dialogue with the architectural identity of Arras. The town, rebuilt several times after the successive destructions of the European conflicts, has always maintained a remarkable stylistic coherence. This residence fits into this logic: local limestone or brick, measured elevation, steeply pitched roof characteristic of the North - all elements that make it a piece of the great urban puzzle of Arras. To visit this house is to plunge into the intimacy of an era when the nobility of the robe and the flourishing trade shaped the urban landscape of Artois. The rigour of the proportions, the discretion of the ornamentation and the quality of the materials used reveal an ambitious commission, the result of a patron who was as concerned about his position as he was about his comfort. The surrounding area, with its cobbled streets and arcaded buildings typical of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, offers an ideal setting for a stroll. The house can be appreciated both from the street - where the façade reveals its compositional secrets - and in the dialogue it maintains with the city's other listed monuments. Arras, often underestimated in comparison with its Flemish neighbours, has some real architectural treasures in store for heritage lovers, of which this house is a discreet but precious example.
Architecture
The house belongs to the eighteenth-century Artois civil architectural tradition, which combines Flemish heritage - a taste for brick, steeply pitched roofs and rhythmic facades - with the contributions of French classicism spread from Paris and the large provincial intendancies. The façade, which is probably arranged in regular bays, has two or three storeys over cellars, in keeping with the dominant model in the lower town of Arras. The openings, framed in limestone ashlar contrasting with the brick facing, follow a rigorous layout that reflects the influence of architectural treatises in vogue at the time. The decorative elements, concentrated on the entrance portal and window spandrels, reveal an ornamental vocabulary typical of the provincial Louis XV style: projecting table mouldings, keystones sculpted with plant motifs or discreet mascarons, and a modillion cornice crowning the whole. The steeply pitched roof, covered in slate or plain tiles according to local tradition, is pierced by pedimented dormers that light up a habitable attic - a common feature in northern middle-class housing, where space was at a premium. The interior layout follows the deep plan typical of 18th-century town houses: reception rooms facing the street, inner courtyard opening onto outbuildings or a garden at the end of the plot. The original interior decorations - wood panelling, trumeaux, herringbone parquet flooring, marble or stone fireplaces - bear witness, when preserved, to the care taken in fitting out this residence, which was intended to be both a showplace and a home.
Related Figures
Maximilien de Robespierre — natif d'Arras (1758), figure révolutionnaire dont l'ombre plane sur toute l'architecture civile arrageoise du XVIIIe siècleJoseph Le Bon — représentant en mission à Arras (1793-1794), dont l'action révolutionnaire bouleversa le destin des propriétés bourgeoises de la villeLes intendants de la généralité d'Arras — grands ordonnateurs de l'urbanisme arrageois au XVIIIe siècle, ils supervisèrent la reconstruction et l'embellissement de la cité après le rattachement à la FranceLes architectes du Conseil d'Artois — corps professionnel actif à Arras au XVIIIe siècle, probablement impliqués dans la conception de cette demeure selon les canons académiques du temps
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison located?
Maison is located in Arras, Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Maison built?
Maison dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison open to visitors?
Maison is currently closed to visitors.