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Origin and history

The Hotel d'Arès, built in the 18th century in Montpellier, is a remarkable example of civil architecture of this time. Located at 14 rue Eugène-Lisbonne, it was originally built by Daniel Chaunel, advisor to the king and receiver general of the taillon, who acquired several plots in 1718. The initial project included renovation with a five-bay façade, but municipal constraints imposed a receding of facades for reasons of safety. Chaunel then modified his plans, reusing existing elements to build a private hotel whose facade, decorated with four windows topped with deciduous mascarons and a female mascaron cochère door, reflects a refined baroque style.

In 1763, Jean Pierre Aurès, also a king's adviser and close to the bishop of Toulouse, bought the hotel from Chaunel's heirs. He undertook interior decoration work, which was reflected in the gypsum salon on the ground floor. This living room, with rock motifs evoking the seasons and love through the iconography of Venus, illustrates the taste of the era for sumptuous decors. The hotel, in excellent condition at this time, becomes a reception place for local elites, especially during the sessions of the Languedoc States. His current name, Hotel d的Arès, is attributed to him in reference to this influential owner.

In the 19th century, the hotel changed hands and used several times. Expropriated in 1869 for an aborted urban redevelopment project linked to the Sainte-Anne church, it became property of the city of Montpellier. Over the decades, it has hosted a variety of institutions: the Prudshommes, the Faculty of Law, the Conservatoire, and finally, since 2021, the offices of the Culture and Heritage Centre of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole. Its monumental staircase, ironworks and decorated salons, protected since 1951 as historical monuments, make it a precious testimony of the art of Montpellieran life in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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