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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Michotey Hotel, located at 14 Megevand Street in Besançon, is a private hotel built in the early eighteenth century. It is distinguished by a main façade with a central forebody surmounted by a triangular pediment, a balcony on the noble floor, and a symmetrical double-flyed exterior staircase, rare in the area. The building consists of a main house and three secondary houses, one of which directly overlooks the street. The vaulted cellars in cradle and architectural details, such as the iron ramps, bear witness to its original prestige.

In 1723, the hotel was sold by Claudine Marchand, wife of Claude Etiard (former clerk), to Antoine Richer, post manager of Besançon. In 1743 he passed into the hands of Gilles Levacher, surgeon-major of hospitals, who entrusted the architect Claude-François Pillot with the restoration of the facade, then limited to a single square floor. The hotel was then acquired in 1786 by Sieur Michotey, President of the Besançon Parliament and protector of the arts, who undertook major renovations, including the elevation of one floor and interior decoration.

The hotel's garden houses a music pavilion, classified as a historical monument since 2007, dating from 1725 or 1733. This pavilion, adorned with stucco and panelling, features a carved frieze and a set of leaves, reflecting the artistic taste of the era. An artificial cave in rock, now destroyed, once completed this whole. In 2019, renovations revealed a 1668 chimney plate at the Arms of Franche-Comté, while in 2025, the restoration of the music pavilion was launched thanks to the Heritage Foundation.

After 1940, the hotel was sold and its garden acquired by the major seminary of Besançon. The right secondary house, perpendicular to the main body, retains a 19th century elevation with balcony. Today, the ground floor welcomes the premises of landscape architect Emmanuel Parisot, while the music pavilion and its decor remain protected for their exceptional heritage value.

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