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Origin and history

The Hotel de Viguier-Guerin, located in Agde in the Hérault, is an urban residence built between the last quarter of the 16th century and the first quarter of the 17th century. The building replaces an old building whose parts, such as a sandstone or sandstone wall, have been preserved. The main structure, including the courtyard façades, is entirely made of local basaltic lava, a material characteristic of the region. The entrance gate, mentioned as early as 1592 in the archives (compoix), is distinguished by its diamond dotted decoration and its fluted ionic pilasters, typical of late Renaissance architecture. This gate, in the middle of the wall, gives access to an oblique passage leading to an inner courtyard.

The campaign of reconstruction of the entrance and galleries seems to date shortly after 1592, as attests the style of ornaments: flat-volute capitals, decorated with diamond-embossed oves, and frieze with geometric patterns in T. Despite its initial prestige, the hotel was fragmented before 1624, thus losing its original residential unit. Today, only the large pilaster gate (Cadastre H 1695, 1697) has been protected under the Historical Monuments since the decree of 22 March 1965. Its official address, 14 rue de la Placette, corresponds to a historic area of Agde, a city marked by its volcanic lava heritage.

The materials used illustrate the local resources: the black basaltic lava, extracted from the surrounding quarries, contrasts with the Roman sandstone elements, inherited from the old construction. The portal, the most remarkable element, combines classical influences (ionic pilasters) and geometric decorative motifs (diamond dots, diamond diamonds), reflecting the taste of the era for a rich ornamental repertoire. The arrangement of the oblique passage, linking the street to the courtyard by an angle, suggests an adaptation to the constraints of the medieval square of Agde.

The hotel is part of the urban context of Agde at the hinge of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the city, active Mediterranean port, sees the development of residences for the local elite (negotiants, royal officers). Although fragmented early, the building bears witness to late Renaissance civil architecture in Languedoc, mixing local tradition (Basaltic Slave) and Italian or Lyon stylistic contributions (geometrical decorations).

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