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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The former Albouy hotel, located in Lodève in the Hérault, occupies a plot of land whose history dates back to at least the sixteenth century. Originally, plots 378 and 379 formed a single building, probably built by the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, of which a stairway tower and part of the house body remain. In the 18th century, this property was divided, and plot 379 was rebuilt in a mansion between 1693 and 1767, with a precise date of 1742 engraved above the well.

The narrow configuration of the land, framed by old buildings, imposed an irregular plan on the hotel. It consists of two floors on ground floor side Rue Cavalerie, and a single floor with attic at the back, overlooking a garden. The latter houses a rock fountain with basin, while a covered gallery, supported by a pillar, illuminates the first floor. The entrance, framed by nets and pilasters adorned with slates, is surmounted by a doucin-style entablement, reflecting the architectural style of the eighteenth century.

Inside, a paneled living room on the first floor preserves oil-painted doortops on canvas, illustrating liberal arts. These works, attributable to an artist close to Jean Raoux, are accompanied by a gypsum board decorated with trophies above the fireplace. The hotel was probably rebuilt for J. Albouy in 1742, as indicated by the date on the well. The site, partially fragmented, also saw the construction of an adjoining house (n°2) at the end of the 18th century.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1988, the protected complex includes facades, roofs, courtyards, garden, gate, well, calade, as well as the wooded living room and its paintings. These elements bear witness to the architectural and social evolution of Lodève, between medieval heritage of the Hospitallers and fascists of private hotels of the Enlightenment century.

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