Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Donine hotel, located in Arles, is a remarkable example of Arlesian Renaissance civil architecture. Its unique housing body, aligned on the street, retains a posterior façade that once looked out onto an inner courtyard, now extinct. The ground floor was rebuilt in the 19th century, but the upper floors have an exceptional Renaissance decoration: superimposed orders, canned pilasters and sculpted entrapments. These elements testify to a direct influence of the nearby ancient theatre, reproduced with a precision revealing the talent of an anonymous sculptor.

The first floor houses a French painted ceiling, probably dated from the second quarter of the 17th century, comparable to that of Hotel Boussicaud. Its patterns, dominated by brown-red tones, include leafy candelabras, flower bouquets and greyish landscapes framed with adorned cartridges. This decor, as well as the facade, have been protected since 2016 by an inscription to the Historical Monuments, covering specifically the facade on street, its roof and the room with painted ceiling.

The building reflects the architectural evolutions of Arles, from ancient influences to 19th century changes. Its present state thus blends traces of several epochs, while preserving emblematic elements of the Provencal Renaissance. The precision of the friezes, imitating the ancient theatre, underscores the dialogue between Roman heritage and Renaissance creation, characteristic of the region.

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