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Origin and history

The Hotel de Fontenilhes, located in Clermont-Ferrand, is an emblematic example of 16th century Renaissance architecture. This historic monument is distinguished by its two housing bodies, one overlooking the street, the other at the bottom of a courtyard, connected by superimposed galleries accessible via a staircase typical of the locality. The use of lava, a local volcanic material, allows bold achievements such as arches, trunks, corbellations and balustrades, already announcing the ornaments of the seventeenth century by a slightly retarded yet innovative style.

Ranked Historic Monument by decree of 12 November 1926, the hotel illustrates the architectural know-how of the period, combining functionality and aesthetics. Its structure, with galleries on each floor, reflects a spatial organization designed for circulation and light, while integrating decorative elements characteristic of the transition between Renaissance and classicism. The exact location, at the 13th of the old rue de la Fontaine (now Rue Jules-Guesde), makes it a privileged witness of the Clermontian urban heritage.

Available sources, including Monumentum, highlight its heritage importance, although the accuracy of its current location is considered poor (note of 5/10). The hotel, with its constructive lava peculiarities, embodies both the adaptation to local resources and the influence of national artistic currents. No information is provided on its current accessibility (visits, rental, accommodation), but its registration as a Historical Monument guarantees its preservation as a key element of the regional heritage.

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