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Origin and history

The hotel of Entrecasteaux, also named Hotel Isoard de Vauvenargues, is a private hotel in Aix located 10 Cours Mirabeau. Built in 1710 for François Boniface-Leydet, Sieur de Peynier and adviser to the Parliament of Provence, it embodies the sober elegance of the eighteenth century Provençal. Its ionic façade and ironwork, marked with initials I and V (Isoard-Vauvenargues), bear witness to subsequent changes.

Acquired in 1731 by Gaspard de Gueydan, then in 1761 by Jean-Baptiste Bruni, Marquis d'Entrecasteaux, the hotel changed hands several times. In 1810, the cardinal of Isoard became his owner, linking his name to that of the castle of Vauvenargues bought by his sister-in-law in 1791. In the 20th century, it houses a lawyer (Master Bonelli) and a goldsmith (Mr Vita), before it was ranked at the Historic Monuments in 1989.

Inside reveals 18th-century gypseries in the old dining room, depicting hunting, fishing and harvesting scenes. Two Tholonet marble fountains, decorated with Neptune and a naïve, complete this decor. The staircase, dated from the 17th century, is distinguished by its adjacent lyres. The writer Marcel Provence evokes the feasts that were held there, celebrating local products such as the hare of entrecasteaux or the trout of Bresc.

Ranked since 1989, it includes the building, its garden, its gate, its fence wall and its commons. Its exact address, 10 Cours Mirabeau (with entrances via Rue Mazarine and Rue Laroque), makes it a major element of the Aixese heritage, linked to the parliamentary and aristocratic history of Provence.

The available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight its architectural and historical importance, while noting inaccuracies on its exact location (notation 5/10 for geolocalized accuracy). The hotel remains a testament to the social and artistic changes of Aix-en-Provence between the 18th and 19th centuries.

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