Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Varennes hotel, also known as the Baudan de Varennes hotel, is a private hotel located in the heart of Montpellier, in the Hérault. It is the result of the fusion of two or three patrician houses of the 13th and 14th centuries, redesigned in the 15th and 17th centuries. These medieval houses still retain their inner courtyards, entrance passages and vaulted warehouses, testimonies of the commercial activity of the city. The hotel, autonomous with its well, also includes remains like the shield of Saint Roch and traces of the Basilica Notre-Dame des Tables.

In 1637 Emmanuel de Girard undertook transformations, but no vestiges of this period remained. The major renovation took place in 1758 under the impetus of merchant Fulbrand Roux, who modernized the facade and created a large staircase. The façade, decorated with a wrought iron balcony attributed to Bongues, features carved key windows and a prominent cornice. The hotel, registered with historical monuments since 1944, is completely restored in the 20th century to preserve its historical strata.

Since 1992, the hotel has housed the Museum of Old Montpellier, dedicated to local history from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, as well as the Fougau Museum, a private space dedicated to Occitan culture and everyday life in the past. Gothic halls, such as the Petrarch Room, are rented for associative events. A decorative door, recovered from the Roquette castle, adorns the entrance. Since 2016, the hotel has also hosted LGBT+ associations, including Angel and SOS Homophobia.

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