Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel de Sade is a private hotel built in 1513 by Balthazar de Sade, ancestor of the Marquis de Sade, combining the flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance styles. Acquired by the State in 1929, it is classified as a historical monument and has been home to the archaeological collections of the nearby Glanum site since 1954. Its architecture reflects the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with an inner courtyard and an octagonal staircase tower.

Excavations conducted in 1948 in the courtyard revealed a Gallo-Roman hypocauste, testifying to ancient thermal baths on the site. These vestiges, dating back to the fourth century, include brick pillars and masonated water pipes. The hotel also includes the ruins of a chapel of the Black Penitents, built in 1563 and partially collapsed in 1897, as well as traces of the medieval church of St Peter, linked to the Benedictine Abbey of Montmajour.

Until 1941, the building served as a hide deposit for a local butcher before being turned into a lapidary museum by the state. Today managed by the National Monuments Centre, it combines architectural heritage, ancient remains and religious history, illustrating the historical strata of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, from antiquity to modern times.

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