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Key figures

Origin and history

The mansion located at 4 rue Saint-Michel in Nancy, built in the 16th century, is an emblematic example of Renaissance architecture in Lorraine. Organised around an inner courtyard, it consists of four building bodies: the main body (A) at the corner of Saint-Epvre and Saint-Michel streets, a secondary body (C), a distribution body (B) housing the staircase and the gallery, and an attached body (D). The façade on Rue Saint-Epvre, treated as the main one, features a set of canned Tuscan pilasters and a triglyphic entanglement, partially altered by a later commercial front. Its original elegance is highlighted by the sills, stone and marble fireplaces, and the roof in the pavilion or with long panels.

The monument was erected in 1586-1587 for Raymond Luyton, chamber valet of Henry II of Lorraine, as evidenced by a chimney plate dated July 1587 and a dendrochronological analysis of the frame. Later known as Hotel Bornet (after his alleged owner in the 17th century), he briefly welcomed Cardinal Nicolas-François de Vaudémont and his wife in 1634 before their exile. In the 18th century, the windows on the first floor are fitted with ironwork railings, and interior decorations (lambing, ceilings) are redone. The court was covered before 1830, and major modifications took place in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the closing of the galleries and the transfer of a door to the Haussonville hotel in 1929. A rehabilitation in 1988 partially restored its original aspect, such as the berry mussels.

The building owes its popular name to "Maison des Sirènes" to a high relief representing two bearded tritons (erronously called sirens), studied in the Palissy base (IM54014857). Among its protected elements are the street façade and the roof, inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 1945. The return interior staircase (IM54014851) and four stone and marble fireplaces (IM54014852 to IM54014855) bear witness to its rich decor. The front door, framed by Corinthian pilasters and surmounted by a curved pediment, has an Indian head mascaron, a rare detail for the time.

The vaulted cellars in the middle of the hanger, arranged under bodies A and C, as well as under the courtyard, recall the construction techniques of the Renaissance. The lintel of the stairwell, in full double hanger with hanging key, is decorated with volutes and foliage, while the inner doors have ground legs. Despite the transformations (closing, removal of stone crosses), the hotel retains traces of its initial fascist, as evidenced by the archives mentioning its role as asylum for Lorrain personalities in times of crisis.

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