Hôtel de Bar

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 building is part of a set of six town houses built on the city walls. This first wall was defended by eleven towers connected by curtain walls. In 1435, the lord of Allègre granted eight noble families the right to build their town houses in order to be protected in case of siege. The Hôtel Bar was built on the eastern part of the fortifications by Lancelot de Bar, captain of the château of Allègre from 1418 to 1422. In the 17th century, the hotel was sold and the owner had it substantially altered (construction of a rectangular main dwelling next to the stair tower). The hotel consists of an elongated building, flanked at the centre of its northern courtyard façade by a stair turret. It is extended to the north by another building having only a garden façade. The gardens are accessible by means of terraces. On the exterior, the stair turret is furnished with openings framed with moulded surrounds of the 15th or 16th century. The other façades are pierced with openings of the 17th century. On the interior, each storey is compartmented into rooms arranged en enfilade and furnished with small service rooms (alcove, sculleries). On the ground floor, the former kitchen was heated by a monumental fireplace of which only the jambs adorned with columns with prismatic bases remain. The mantel, sawn, was replaced by a wooden beam. The bedrooms were furnished in the 19th century with woodwork and alcoves, as well as fireplaces in wood painted as false marble.