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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hotel Morel-Sauvegrain is a Dijon mansion built around 1475 by Pierre Morel, lord of Menans, alderman and captain of the city. Son of Simone Sauvegrain — nurse of Charles the Temerary (1433) and his daughter Marie of Burgundy (1460-1463) — he inherits a network of influence linked to the ducal court. The stone façade, decorated with arcades and carved balconies evoking the Philippe-le-Bon tower, reflects this prestige. Originally, a crenelated gallery ran the building, now gone.

The interior courtyard houses a Renaissance façade of 1547, sponsored by the Gerland family (descendant des Morel), inspired by Italian models. His sculptures depict horsemen's battles and puttis carrying badges to the effigy of the order of Saint Michael. This part, which was inaccessible to the public, was for a long time wrongly attributed to a skilled craftsman, Jacques de Rochefort, the alleged tenant of the shops on the ground floor.

Ranked as a Historical Monument partially in 1916 (house n°52) and then in 1998 (building n°54-56), the hotel illustrates the architectural evolution of Dijon, between the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The rue des Forges, an ancient shopping route, then concentrated aristocratic residences and stalls. After 1513, the building was divided into three dwellings, however maintaining its initial stylistic unit.

The protected elements include screw staircase turrets, door windows, and carved decorations combining Burgundy and transalpine influences. The confusion with the Hôtel de Rochefort persists, although the archives exclude this name for the benefit of Morel-Sauvegrain and Gerland, families of the ducal Burgundy.

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