Hôtel Pas de Beaulieu

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

This primitive quarter of the medieval city was cut across, around the 13th century, by the rue Saint-Firmin which, by the rue de la Fabrarié, linked these commercial quarters to the castle. On the site of this building stood, in the 17th century, two houses, acquired by the same owner one in 1618, the other in 1672. The whole was resold in 1717. In 1748, the compoix indicates as owner François Pas de Beaulieu, counsellor to the Court of Audit. The staircase and the facade probably date from his time, the wrought-iron grilles intertwining the letters P and D, initials of the counsellor and his wife. There remain no apparent vestiges of the two houses of the 16th century which formed a single building at an unknown date, but certainly after 1672. The main facade develops over two storeys and a ground floor. At the base open three large openings. In the middle opens the portal. Above, the three windows of each floor have been arranged in the axis of the lower openings. The ornamentation of the first-floor windows comprises, notably, the three carved keys and the balustrade grilles. The entrance corridor leads to the courtyard whose south facade is occupied by the staircase. The latter comprises three straight flights per floor. The interest of this construction lies in the arrangement of the supports of the stringers and the landings. The large landings of the first and second floors are supported, on the courtyard side, by a succession of three basket-handle arches bearing on corbel pendentives. Towards the rear, and parallel, the landing is supported by three similar arches but of which only two rest on a common corbel, the other springing being on a pillar. In the plane of the stringer of the second flight, there is an arch under the first intermediate landing only from the first floor. This arch rests on a pillar which also bears the start of the rampant arch supporting the stringer. The third flight rests on a rampant arch which rests solely on two pendentives. The handrail rests on rampant balusters, of square section. The various arches are decorated with a series of mouldings. The spandrels are heightened with rustication in pyramid trunks, framing S-volutes, placed together. The corbels are carved with foliage.