Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Café des Arcades building, located in Saint-Mihiel in the East, is a historic monument dating back to at least the 15th century. Attested from 1447 under the name of the Crown Inn (later at the Écu de France), it served as a accommodation for travellers in the suburb of Saint-Thiébaut, after the city's gates closed. This building, rebuilt in the second half of the 16th century, illustrates the importance of reception places on medieval and modern roads.

The Café des Arcades is distinguished by its characteristic architecture, with three arcades in full hanger on the main façade and one on each side, surmounted by a roof of hollow tiles. The right part includes an appentis, while the façade and its gallery were protected by an inscription to the Historical Monuments in 1984. Its location, initially on the outskirts of Saint-Mihiel, reflects its historic role as a relay for travellers, in a region marked by exchanges between Lorraine and neighbouring territories.

Available sources, including the Merimée and Monumentum base, locate the building at 2 avenue du Bois-d'Ailly, although approximate GPS coordinates also suggest 30 Rue Porte à Nancy. This duality of localization highlights the urban transformations of Saint-Mihiel, a Lorrain city integrated today in the Great East. The lack of details about possible owners or sponsors limits the knowledge of its social history, but its status as a hostel and then as a café testifies to its sustainability as a place of sociability.

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