Hôtel Arnoux de Maison-Rouge

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

Tradition attributed this house to Jean Arnoux de Maison Rouge, ancestor of Father Arnoux, confessor to Louis XIII. The house was in the possession of the Arnoux family in 1647. The house presents itself as a complex ensemble of buildings dating from several periods. The oldest parts appear to date from the 15th century. Important alterations took place at the end of the 16th century and in the 18th century. Currently, the building stretches between the rue de l'Horloge and an old garden transformed into a courtyard. A vaulted vestibule crosses the main dwelling at ground level and serves the various rooms, the staircase to the south and the interior courtyard to the north. The first floor corresponds to the state rooms. On the exterior, at the windows, except on the third floor, the arches are bearing a keystone carved with a curved plant motif. The location of the staircase in the building is quite particular and marks an evolution from the beginning of the 16th century, the latter not being found in a special tower on the side of the main dwelling, but in the centre of the building. Inside, the great room facing the street was entirely decorated in the 18th century. This building, by the originality of its plan, by the interest presented by its sculptured décor, is the finest that the Renaissance produced at Riom.