Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel de Bar, located in Montauban in the current Occitanie region, finds its origins in the remains of the former Comtal castle, dismantled in 1229 after the Treaty of Paris. This castle, formerly the seat of the senechal, was partially rebuilt in the 15th century to form a large building whose current structure preserves traces. The transformation into a private hotel incorporated defensive and residential elements, typical of post-medieval reconstructions in the southwest.

The façade of the Bar Hotel is distinguished by its basket handle portal, decorated with a twisted column, characteristic of the late flamboyant Gothic. Inside, the brick arched corridor rests on sculpted lamp-ends of fabulous animals, while a screw staircase, housed in a cut-paned corner tower, leads to the floors. This staircase ends with a network of brick arches, supported by ground caps, illustrating the craftsmanship of the time.

On the ground floor, a vaulted room features a complex network of liernes and thirdons, testifying to the influence of Gothic architecture in civil constructions. The courtyard, lined with an open gallery on consoles, connects the various building bodies, including a secondary. These developments reflect the adaptation of seigneurial spaces into urban residences, common in the cities of the South-West after the Middle Ages.

Ranked Historic Monument by order of 8 February 1984, the Bar Hotel specifically protects its facade on street and courtyard, its staircase turret, as well as the vaulted passage and the large vaulted hall of the ground floor. Today, although private property, it exceptionally opens its doors (couloir and courtyard) during the Heritage Days, allowing to appreciate this preserved medieval heritage.

External links