Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The hotel de la Gabelle in Bernay, Normandy, is a mansion of classic style built in the middle of the eighteenth century. Commanded by Jacques-Philippe Bréant, receiver of the gabelles, he replaced several houses in ruins bought in 1745 near the door of Orbec. The building, organized between courtyard and garden, includes salt barns and stables, reflecting the tax function of its owner. The interior decorations, such as the canvases of the hazelnuts and the door tops, are attributed to Michel Hubert-Descours, student of the painter Hyacinthe Rigaud.

The architecture of the hotel has long been attributed to Ange-Jacques Gabriel, the king's first architect, although there are no documents confirming it. The carved mascarons and trophies, especially those representing the four parts of the world, evoke similarities with the works of L.A. Loriot, active in Lorient for the Compagnie des Indes. Bréant enlarged the property in 1750 by acquiring land on the old ramparts, before dying in the hotel in 1772.

After the Revolution, the hotel changed hands several times: sold in 1799 to Jean-François-Pierre-Paterne Thulou, then to industrialist Gratien Pesnel in 1825, who developed a ribbon factory there. In the 20th century, threatened with destruction in 1957, it was rescued by a local mobilization and partially classified as historical monuments in 1928 and 1964. Today, despite degradations like a merule attack, there remains a testimony of Norman civil architecture of the eighteenth century.

The monumental gate, facades, blankets and floors of the courtyard and gardens have been protected since 1928 and 1964. After hosting a music conservatory until 2010, the hotel is offered for sale in 2014 by the municipality. Its future remains uncertain, between aborted tourist projects and the need for restoration.

Jacques-Philippe Bréant, poet and recipient of the gabelles, embodies the social ascension of the Norman bourgeoisie under the Old Regime. Its hotel, symbol of economic power, combines administrative functions (salt houses) and residential functions. The interior decorations, conferred on local artists such as Hubert-Descours, underline his cultural ambition, while the controversial attribution to Gabriel reflects the prestige sought.

The mobilization to save the hotel in 1963, relayed by Le Figaro and supported by André Malraux, illustrates its heritage importance. Despite various uses (conservatory, tourist project), its current state questions the preservation of the civil heritage in Normandy, between budgetary constraints and challenges of valorisation.

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