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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hotel de l'Académie, located 16 rue Dorée in Nîmes (Gard, Occitanie), is a 16th century civil building, listed as historical monuments since 1940. Its construction dates back to at least 1596, as evidenced by the first known mention. The architecture, influenced by the Renaissance, is distinguished by a broken pediment gate, ionic pilasters, and an inner courtyard decorated with trophies of arms, mascarons and lion heads.

In the 17th century, the hotel became the home of Gaillard Guiran (1600-1680), a magistrate and humanist whose motto Ne quid nimis ("Nothing too much") reflects the ideal of moderation. In 1919, the building was acquired by the Académie de Nîmes, a learned society founded in 1682 by the royal privilege of Louis XIV, on the model of the French Academy. Its fronts and blankets on the courtyard, as well as its front door, have been protected since 1940.

The Academy of Nîmes, declared of public utility in 1871, perpetuates a tradition of knowledge and intellectual exchange from this place. The hotel, which is owned by an association, thus retains a double heritage: that of a patrician residence of the Renaissance and that of a cultural home that is still active.

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