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Origin and history

The Hôtel de la Fage, located in Place Saint-Georges in Toulouse, was built in 1745 to replace buildings destroyed by fire in 1725. This project was part of an extensive urban planning programme aimed at improving the square, one of the most important in the city under the Old Regime. The capitals (Toulousan magistrates) proposed a public-private partnership to finance its reconstruction, entrusting the plans to the architect Maduran. The Louis XV-style building is distinguished by its monumental thirteen-span façade, its central forebody surmounted by a triangular pediment, and its arcades in the middle of the ground floor.

The Oval Honor Court, a rare architectural innovation, originally communicated with a rectangular garden now transformed into a second courtyard. The interior facades take over the exterior decorative elements (coupled pilasters, brick cords, molded cornice), creating visual harmony. Inside, the stairwell retains a wrought iron ramp in Louis XV style, while a living room on the first floor features a painted ceiling from Charles X era. Although the interior decor of the 18th century has disappeared, the hotel illustrates the tradition of Toulouse private hotels, combining classicism and originality.

Sponsored by Henri-Joseph de Lafage, from a noble capitular family, the hotel was built between 1747 and 1750 on nine gradually acquired plots. The honorary staircase bears the inscription "ERRE BERNAD DIT PARROUPIA 1753", attributed to Bernard dit Parrouquié, stone tracer involved in its construction. The Place Saint-Georges, once a place of markets and execution, benefited from this project to regain its prestige. The hotel, classified as Historical Monument in 1978, protects its facades, roofs, staircase and painted living room.

The architecture of the Hotel de la Fage reflects the urban ambitions of the capitals, wishing to standardize the facades and regularize the public space. Guillaume Cammas, painter of the city, and architect Lebrun participated in the initial plans, although Maduran ensured the final realization. The masonry alternating brick and stone, typical of Toulouse, and the illusory symmetry created by the wall-screen in the backyard reinforce its majestic, almost public character, despite its private vocation.

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