Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel Arnoux de Maison-Rouge, located 7 rue de l'Horloge in Riom (Puy-de-Dôme), is a rare example of Renaissance architecture in the city. Its plan crossing between two streets and its richly decorated inner courtyard make it an atypical monument. The medieval cellar under the main building body and traces of a fire in 1483 suggest an ancient origin, although the most remarkable parts date from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The tradition initially attributed the hotel to Jean Arnoux de Maison Rouge, ancestor of a confessor of Louis XIII, but later research associated rather with Jean Mazuer, lieutenant of the provost of Auvergne, who would have built it around 1600. The weapons of the Mazuer and Cambray families, carved in the courtyard, confirm this link. In 1646, the fall of the bell of the Clock Tower seriously damaged the building, an event mentioned in 17th century archives.

The architecture combines elements of the second school of Fontainebleau (galerie with géminées bays, carved decor) with classical additions of the eighteenth century, such as the facade on street rebuilt around 1770 with a balcony. The central staircase, covered with cradle vaults, and the large living room decorated in the eighteenth century illustrate stylistic evolutions. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1985, the hotel is distinguished by its staircase, facades and vaulted vestibule, witness to its past prestige.

The interior courtyard, unique in Riom with its Renaissance décor, raises questions as to its use: place of receptions or representative space? The oval skylights, the Tuscan columns surrounding the door, and the shields to the arms of the Arnoux (added later) reflect a will of monumentality. Successive transformations, such as the expansion of windows in the 17th century, show an adaptation to architectural modes.

The 19th and 20th centuries sources (Émile Clouard, Albert de Remacle) highlight the heritage importance of the hotel, linked to the legal and nobility history of Riom. The Arnoux, anoblised by their office as treasurers in the Bureau of Finance, became owners before 1702. Today, the building, although partially modified (back elevation dated 1806), remains a major testimony of the Renaissance art of living in Auvergne.

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