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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The building, located at 10 rue des Sœurs Macarons in Nancy, was built in 1725 by architect Jean-Nicolas Jennesson for Antoine Grisot de Bellecroix, treasurer of Lorraine. The latter, who had owned the land since 1722, placed his initials (A and G) on the wrought iron gate of the entrance, topped by a crown that had now disappeared. The house, adjacent to another hotel built by Grisot, passed into several hands after the Revolution, notably that of the Vallet family in 1794, then of the Mullers in the early 19th century.

According to tradition, nuns expelled from their convent during the Revolution took refuge in this building and made the first macaroons of Nancy, giving his name to the house. Although large scale artisanal production is unlikely (the original oven, still visible, is too small), this legend persists. In the 19th century, the confectionery workshop was installed on the ground floor, with a street shop and ovens on courtyard, near a well today closed.

The house retains remarkable elements such as a wrought iron staircase, two historic furnaces and a stained glass window of 1889 representing a nun, classified in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments since 2021. Partially protected since 1987 (façades, roofs, staircases, ovens), it illustrates Nancy's architectural and artisanal evolution, between 18th century aristocratic heritage and subsequent commercial activity. The macaron production ceased in the 1980s, but the original window, after an exile on Gambetta Street, was resettled in 2020.

The building, divided into apartments in the 1980s, remains a testimony to the history of Lorraine, mixing religious heritage, civil architecture and culinary tradition. Its L-shaped plan, its interior courtyard and its 19th century interior decorations (ceilings, fireplaces) reflect the successive adaptations of the building, while preserving its original character.

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