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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Hotel de Robien is a private hotel located in the heart of Rennes, in Ille-et-Vilaine, at 22 rue du Champ-Jacquet and 17 rue Le-Bastard. Built in the early seventeenth century, it was acquired in 1699 by Robien's family, a line of mortar presidents in the Parliament of Brittany. Its architecture, spared by the fire of 1720 thanks to the destruction of the communes as a firebreaker, was then incorporated into the city's new urban plan. The interior is distinguished by rock-style woodwork, some of which, in the old company lounge, are decorated with panels imitating the Chinese lacquers.

Christophe-Paul de Robien, a prominent member of the family, was a scientific scholar in the 18th century. Its collections, now scattered between the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Brittany in Rennes, demonstrate its commitment to the arts and sciences. He also acquired a nearby building for his son, forming the Small Hotel of Robien. The hotel remained the Robien residence until the French Revolution, when it was transformed into houses and shops.

The leisure garden, created in the 18th century on the other side of Rue du Champ-Jacquet, housed a small pavilion inspired by the trianons, decorated with paintings by Jouvenet. This garden, like the surrounding moat, has now disappeared. Ranked a Historic Monument on June 1, 1965, the Hotel de Robien embodies the architectural and cultural heritage of Brittany's Enlightenment, combining parliamentary history, rock art and scientific passion.

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