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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel de Viguier, located in Arles, is an emblematic example of 17th and 18th century domestic architecture in this city. This period marked a golden age for Arlesian private hotels, built in a forced urban space inherited from the Middle Ages. The building embodies the stylistic transformations of the era, combining traditional elements with "French" influences, characteristic of the aristocratic or bourgeois residences of the region. Its evolution also reflects the local social and economic dynamics, with successive enlargements, including a first hotel overlooking the rue de la Calade, then a major extension from 1760.

This private hotel is distinguished by its integration into the dense urban fabric of Arles, where the limited space required ingenious architectural solutions. The inner courtyard and its well, now protected, bear witness to this adaptation to space constraints. Ranked Historic Monument in 2016, the ensemble (buildings, courtyard and well) offers an overview of the lifestyles of Arlesian elites, between domestic intimacy and social representation. Its inscription is part of a desire to preserve a heritage illustrating the transition between the Ancien Régime and the beginnings of architectural modernity in Provence.

The location of the Hotel de Viguier, at 31 rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, in the historic centre of Arles, reinforces its anchor in urban history. The city, then under Provencal and Mediterranean influence, saw its private hotels become symbols of power and prestige. The expansion of 1760 coincided with a period of prosperity for Arles, where domestic architecture modernized while maintaining traces of earlier eras. Today, its state of conservation and its protection make it a privileged witness to this built heritage, although its precise location is considered "a priori satisfactory" according to the heritage databases.

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