Passage
MonumentHidden Treasure
Passage, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), 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
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8538, -0.5669
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083901
A discreet gem of eighteenth-century Bordeaux, this groin-vaulted passage conceals a merchant's residence with wrought-iron balustrades, the only example in the city of a street passing through a private building beneath a basket-handle arch.
History
Tucked away in the urban fabric of old Bordeaux, the rue Barreyre passageway is one of those monuments that you walk past without always looking up, unaware of the architectural singularity unfolding above you. Yet this building, dating from the second quarter of the eighteenth century, is an architectural curiosity without equal in the city: a vast middle-class residence whose northern section rests entirely on a cross-vaulted passageway, giving the rue Barreyre an unexpected outlet in the form of a graceful basket-handle arch. What distinguishes this monument from the multitude of Bordeaux town houses of the same period is precisely this dialogue between public and private space. The house doesn't just border the street: it straddles it, containing it and integrating it into its own spatial logic. This approach, which is extremely rare in Bordeaux, reflects the ingenuity of an architect keen to make the most of a constrained plot of land while leaving his mark on the surrounding urban fabric. The experience of visiting the building is first and foremost that of an attentive stroll. Passing under the vaulted ceiling, visitors can immediately appreciate the quality of the ashlar bonding, typical of Aquitaine know-how. Stepping back from the façade, they discover a sober but rigorous elevation: three bays with segmental-arched lintels punctuating two square storeys, crowned by a strong cornice and delicate wrought-iron railings that enliven the lower third of the windows. The setting is that of the old commercial and maritime Bordeaux, a stone's throw from the historic port and the streets where 18th-century merchants built their fortunes on colonial trade. The Passage is part of a district that is still steeped in this trading memory, where the facades of blond Gironde limestone bear witness to a prosperity that is now silent but still visible in the stonework.
Architecture
The building is based on a doubly remarkable principle of composition: two main buildings, each double in depth, articulated around an interior courtyard in a classic eighteenth-century Bordeaux hotel layout. The technical uniqueness lies in the treatment of the northern section, whose foundations and lower levels are formed by a cross vault that carries the entire building above the public passageway. This passageway opens onto rue Barreyre through a basket-handle arch - a characteristic form of early 18th-century French classical architecture, more slender than the semicircular arch and less austere than the segmental arch - giving the entrance to the passageway a sober, measured elegance. The narrower southern section houses the stairwell, which presumably has a wrought-iron banister in line with the external railings. The main facade, with two square storeys over the ground floor, features three bays with segmental-arched lintels, a regular, classical rhythm that places the building in the French tradition of sober ornamentation. The wrought-iron railings in the lower third of each bay are the most visible decorative element: their design, probably made up of geometric or plant motifs stylised in the Rococo or Regency style, is a precious example of 18th-century Bordeaux metalwork. A strong cornice crowns the whole, emphasising the roof line and completing the vertical composition with authority. The materials used are those of the Gironde building tradition: local limestone, of a characteristic creamy white, which gives the whole town its luminous tones.
Related Figures
Jean Laclotte — architecte bordelais du XVIIIe siècle, vraisemblable concepteur de l'édificeBarreyre — négociant bordelais commanditaire de la demeure, qui donna son nom à la rueVictor Louis — architecte contemporain, figure tutélaire de l'architecture bordelaise classique permettant de contextualiser l'œuvre de LaclotteAnge-Jacques Gabriel — architecte royal dont l'influence rayonne sur toute la production classique française de la période
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Passage located?
Passage is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Passage built?
Passage dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Passage open to visitors?
Passage is currently closed to visitors.