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Origin and history

The Hotel de Calvet de Montolivet, often mistakenly called the Prince de Conti Hotel, is a baroque building built in the second half of the seventeenth century in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (Gard). Although Conti's family had links with the region, there was no evidence that she owned it: the building was actually erected by Antoine Calvet, a legal consultant of Languedoc, on the ruins of an ancient cardinalry delivered in 1657. The plans are attributed to the architect Louis-François de Royers de La Valfenière, known for his sober but monumental style, marked by bosses, a salient cornice and a baroque portal adorned with atlantes inspired by those of Pierre Puget in Toulon (1653).

The construction is part of a land consolidation initiated by the Calvet family from the 16th century. The first hotel, modest, was replaced after 1664 by a quadrilateral building, organized around a central courtyard and a staircase distributing the noble floor. The facades, the roof, and a room adorned with gypseries on the first floor were classified as historical monuments in 1981, followed by the inscription of the ensemble in 2002. The hotel suffered degradation during the Revolution (mutilated cariatids) and in the 19th century (fires, partial demolitions), altering its original arrangements.

The error of attribution to the prince of Conti persists despite the archives. The facade on the street, with its curved pediment portal supported by atlantes, and the inner courtyard with crossette windows (signature of La Valfenière), bear witness to a desire for social affirmation. The interior decorations, like the fireplace decorated with gypsums, reflect the influence of Italian models in the French Midi. Today, the hotel remains a major example of the Languedoc civil architecture of the Great Century, despite the transformations.

The site is located 43-45 rue de la République, in the old pen of the Thurroye livery. Its historic address (cadastre AN 508 and CH 46-49) confirms its anchoring in the medieval urban fabric of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, a city marked by the presence of the popes of Avignon and local noble families. The protections for historical monuments cover both exterior architectural elements and remarkable interior decorations.

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