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Origin and history

The Hotel de Sade, located at n°5 of the rue Dorée (formerly rue Chauffard) in Avignon, is a mansion built in the 15th century. It is one of the 130 aristocratic hotels erected between the 15th and 18th centuries in the historic centre of Avignon, then papal enclave. These houses, admired for their architectural richness, bear witness to the influence of local noble and merchant families, such as the Sade, who made a fortune in the hemp trade and owned several houses on this street.

The hotel was originally acquired around 1530 by Thomas II of Gadagne, a member of a wealthy Florentine merchant family based in Lyon. Between 1536 and 1537, he had it rebuilt in a Gothic style. The building then changed hands several times: bought in 1647 by Jean-Baptiste de Sade, he remained in this family until 1760, before becoming the property of the Brothers of Christian Schools. The building underwent major changes, notably during the drilling of the Rue de la République, and the restorations that were questionable in 1885 and 1910.

Listed as a Historic Monument, the Hotel de Sade is distinguished by its facades on street and courtyard, protected since 1932. Its architecture reflects the stylistic evolutions of the Renaissance and later periods, while maintaining traces of its medieval origin. Today, it embodies a part of the history of Avignon, marked by alliances between merchant families, local nobility and urban transformations.

Golden Street, formerly known as Rue des Sade, concentrated several properties of this family, illustrating their economic and social power. The hotel, although partially altered, remains a testament to the architectural and social dynamics that shaped Avignon, between Italian influence, pontifical power and urban development.

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