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Origin and history

The Hotel de Vienne, also known as Hotel de Maleville or Hotel de Brons, is an emblematic monument of Sarlat-la-Canéda, Dordogne. Although his name is associated with Jean de Vienne, the Comptroller General of Finance under Henry IV, he is not the original builder. The hotel is the result of the meeting of three pre-existing houses, some of which, like the warheads on the ground floor, date back to the Middle Ages. Its architectural style, including the noble tower and decorated facades, suggests a construction in the mid-16th century, a period of prosperity for Sarlat after the Hundred Years War.

The property became that of Jean de Vienne on an indeterminate date, probably after 1594, when he was appointed intendant and comptroller general of finances. It is said to have commissioned the decoration of the façade on the Rue de la Liberté, as well as the entrance gate and sculptures of the noble tower, including a fireplace decorated with a lying deer surrounded by dogs. After his death, the hotel passed to François de Brons, squire du Quercy, by his marriage to Bertrandine de Vayssières in 1610. Brons' family remained the owner until it was sold in the Marquis de Maleville around 1860.

The hotel is distinguished by its U-shaped plan, formed around a small square, with a central pavilion housing a six-storey tower and a spiral staircase. The entrance door, in the middle of the hanger, is framed with columns and a stable decorated with medallions, one of which would represent Henry IV. Inside, a hall on the first floor has a monumental fireplace with apparent hearths, attributed to John of Vienna. Ranked a historic monument in 1889, the hotel illustrates Renaissance architecture adapted to a pre-existing medieval structure.

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