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Origin and history

The Hotel de Ricard, also known as the Saint-Louis School, is a private hotel built in 1677 in Saint-Geniez-d'Olt, in the present department of Aveyron. Originally commissioned for Jean Fajole, priest and first perpetual mayor of the city, he illustrates 17th century civil architecture, marked by the influence of the students of François Mansart, as Jean Parate, identified as his architect. The building is distinguished by its facades and interior decoration, partially redesigned around 1830, reflecting the evolution of aristocratic tastes over the centuries.

In the 19th century, the hotel was the setting of the magnificent receptions organized by the Countess of Ricard, two centuries after its construction. His legacy continued until the early 20th century, when the building was left in 1908 to Antoine Talon, then mayor of Saint-Geniez-d'Olt. This transmission marked its anchor in municipal life, leading to its inscription to historical monuments in 1996, protecting its facades, roofs, and remarkable interior elements such as the vestibule or the courtyard.

The Hotel de Ricard embodies both the social prestige of its first owners and the urban transformations of Saint-Geniez-d'Olt. Its architecture, combining classicism and local adaptations, makes it a rare testimony of private hotels wheelgats. Today it is a communal property and houses the Saint-Louis School, continuing its central role in the educational and heritage life of the city. Its gate, balustrade and garden pavilion, protected by the 1996 decree, underline its historical and aesthetic importance.

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