Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Chazerat hotel, located at No. 4 of Pascal Street in Clermont-Ferrand, is an emblematic example of Louis XVI architecture in Auvergne. Built between 1760 and 1769 on the plans of architect Pierre Peyrat, then completed by Gilbert Fournier and Antoine Deval, it replaces a former noble hotel, the Ribeyre hotel. Its ingenious organization, with an oval courtyard and Volvic stone facades, adapts to the sloped terrain of the Clermont hill. The monumental gate, the canned pilasters and the balustrade highlight its prestige, while inside, the large living room decorated with medallions representing the seasons attests to the refinement of the era.

The history of the hotel is marked by French political upheavals. At the Revolution, he was confiscated as a national property after the emigration of his owner, Antoine de Chazerat, and then bought by the municipality to house his services. Returned to Chazerat in 1806, he then became the seat of the bishopric until 1905, before being transformed into a hospital during the First World War. In the 20th century, it received successively the faculty of letters, the recording services, and then, after a restoration in 1982, the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC). Its partial classification in 1979 protects its most remarkable elements, such as the oval courtyard, the terrace and the large living room.

The Chazerat hotel also illustrates local constructive techniques, with the systematic use of the Volvic stone, typical of the region since the thirteenth century. Its spatial organization, centered on the oval court of honor, skilfully masks topographic constraints. The stables, now missing, were accessible through the Oratory Street and reported by busts of horses surrounding their porch. Nearby, the Poisson Hotel housed the administrative services of stewardship, highlighting the central role of this district in the management of the city in the eighteenth century.

Ranked a historic monument in 1926 for its ensemble, then partially in 1979 for its facades, roofs and interior decorations (like the living room and its adjoining office), the Chazerat Hotel embodies both the Clermontian architectural heritage and the functional changes of historic buildings. Its current use by the DRAC makes it a symbol of the preservation and enhancement of the heritage in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

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