Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel Adhémar de Lantagnac is a private hotel built in the middle of the eighteenth century for Jean-Balthazar de Daniel, royal intendant of the garrison of Monaco. Located at 24 rue Saint-Michel in Menton, it illustrates the civil architecture of Provencal influence, with a facade on a garden decorated with segmental windows and an interior courtyard served by a wrought iron staircase. The building, organized between courtyard and garden, presents a distribution in line, characteristic of the aristocratic residences of the period, although this choice was considered archaic.

In 1766, the hotel entered the family Adhémar de Lantagnac when Anne-Marie Rosé de Daniel, daughter of Jean-Balthazar, brought him in dowry to her husband, Pierre Antoine Alexandre d'Adhémar de Lantagnac, then governor of Menton for the prince of Monaco. The Adhémar family of Lantagnac, which included several governors of the city in the 18th and 19th centuries, made a lasting mark on the history of the place. The entrance gate, adorned with AL initials and a Comtal crown, bears witness to this prestige, while later additions (such as the V of the Victory and the Cross of Lorraine) reflect subsequent symbolic reappropriations.

The hotel has been listed as a Historic Monument since 24 June 1977 and retains remarkable elements: facades and roofs, a staircase of honour with wrought iron ramps, as well as living rooms and rooms with original décor. From the 19th century, architectural changes partially transformed the garden (initially crossing) and added a forebody on the street. Today, the building houses the Menton Heritage Service, continuing its link to local history.

The analysis of the old plans reveals a significant evolution: the garden, still crossing in the early nineteenth century, was modified before 1861 with the addition of a forebody on the street. The adjacent parcel (#403) is then integrated into the whole. The hotel, conceived as a prestigious residence, also reflects the administrative functions of its occupants, combining private life and public representation under the Old Regime and the Principality of Monaco.

Future

Today, the hotel hosts the Heritage Service.

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