Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Borrilli Hotel is an iconic 16th century mansion located on 2 rue des Brémondi in Aix-en-Provence. Reborn in 1606 for Louise Mérindol, widow of notary Nicolas Borrilli, it became a prestigious place under the impulse of Boniface Borrilli, member of a dynasty of Aixese notaries active since 1385. The latter, an art lover and collector, exhibited a cabinet of paintings, sculptures and ancient coins, attracting even King Louis XIII in 1624.

The hotel's architecture is distinguished by its stairway with rotating neighborhoods, decorated with masks of men and women in the shell, as well as warrior trophies and geometric interlaces. These decorative elements reflect the taste of the era for classic patterns and power symbols. The entrance gate, remarkable for its sculptural work, was inscribed in historical monuments in 1949.

Boniface Borrilli, a central figure in hotel history, inherited in 1637 a portrait of Pierre Paul Rubens painted by Antoine van Dyck, formerly owned by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc. This painting, among other treasures, consolidated the hotel's reputation as a high cultural place in Aix. The Borrilli family, with fourteen notaries over 260 years, made a lasting mark on the legal and artistic life of the city.

Today, the Borrilli Hotel bears witness to the golden age of Aixian private hotels, where notarial power, patronage and social life were mixed. Although only its door is protected, the building remains a symbol of the architectural and historical heritage of Provence-Alpes-Côte d的Azur.

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