Hôtel de Caumont

Hôtel de Caumont

Facade of the Hôtel de Caumont
General information
Type Hôtel particulier
Address 1 rue Joseph Cabassol
Town or city Aix-en-Provence
Country France
Completed 1742
Design and construction
Architect Georges Vallon

The Hôtel de Caumont is a listed hôtel particulier in Aix-en-Provence.

Location

It is located at 1 rue Joseph Cabassol, in the Quartier Mazarin of Aix-en-Provence.[1]

History

It was designed by architects Robert de Cotte (1656–1735) and Georges Vallon (1688-1767), and built from 1715 to 1742 for François Rolland de Réauville de Tertulle, the Marquess of Cabannes.[1][2] Sculptors Jean-Baptiste Rambot and Bernard Toro designed the atlas.[1] Inside, the entrance has an indoor fountain, with two sets of stairs: one for the family, and another one for the staff.[1]

The hotel was inherited by Jean-Baptiste-François de Tertulle, son of François Rolland de Réauville de Tertulle.[2] Upon his death, his widow sold it to François de Bruny de la Tour d'Aigues (1690-1772).[1][2] It was inherited by his son, the Marseilles shipowner Jean-Baptiste de Bruny de la Tour d'Aigues (1724-1794), who served as the Président à mortier of the Parliament of Aix-en-Provence.[1] He bequeathed it on to his son Marie Jean Joseph (1768-1800), who again passed it to his sister, Pauline de Bruny de la Tour d'Aigues (1767-1850), who had married Amable-Victor-Joseph-François de Paule de Seytres de Caumont (1764-1841), the Marquess of Caumont, in 1796.[1][2] He was accused of "stealing the most beautiful hôtel particulier from Provence by this marriage," as a street sign outside the hotel suggests. The marriage was childless, and the hotel was bequeathed to one of Pauline's cousins.[2]

In 1964, General Isembart sold it to the city of Aix.[2] They rented it out to La Poste, the postal service in France.[2] From 1970 to 2013, it was home to a music school, the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud.[2][3][4]

It has been listed as a monument historique since 1990.

At present

It is owned by Culturespaces, a subsidiary of GDF Suez, and will reopen as a cultural center in May 2015.[2]

Hôtel de Caumont
Street sign about the history of the Hôtel de Caumont
Street sign about the history of the Hôtel de Caumont 
Hôtel de Caumont seen from the corner of the rue Mazarine and the rue Cabassol
Hôtel de Caumont seen from the corner of the rue Mazarine and the rue Cabassol 
Main door to the courtyard
Main door to the courtyard 
Side door to the courtyard
Side door to the courtyard 
Balcony
Balcony 
Drawing room inside the Hôtel de Caumont
Drawing room inside the Hôtel de Caumont 

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Aix-en-Provence Tourism: Hôtels particuliers
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Official website: History
  3. ↑ Dominique Auzias, Aix-en-Provence, Le Petit Futé, 2008, p. 144
  4. ↑ Dominique Auzias, Jean-Paul Labourdette, Aix-en-Provence, Le Petit Futé, 2012

Coordinates: 43°31′33″N 5°26′56″E / 43.5257°N 5.4488°E / 43.5257; 5.4488

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