Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building at 13 rue des Lombards in Nîmes is a building originally dating back at least to the seventeenth century, although its present façade was rebuilt or substantially redesigned at the end of the eighteenth century. This monument illustrates the architectural evolution of the city, mixing ancient elements with typical decorations of the Enlightenment century, as evidenced by the windows surrounding the entrance door and wrought iron ornaments of the balcony.

The entrance door, with a curved lintel, has a carved key representing a woman's head in a rolled cartridge, while the vantals, with large panels, are surmounted by a corrugated upper frame decorated with foliage. The balcony, composed of three panels, has a sophisticated decor: the central panel features volutes and an oval medallion containing a monogram and two intertwined anchors, while the side panels are decorated with angular petal florets and rounded volutes. These elements, protected by a registration order in 1964, reflect the craftsmanship of the time.

At the back of the facade, the building hides two inner courtyards, typical of private hotels or bourgeois houses in the region. The balcony's main hand, devoid of balls at the angles, and the small metal medallions placed in the corners of the double frame, underlined by a Greek, complete to characterize this monument as a representative example of the Nîmes civil architecture of the late eighteenth century. Its state of conservation and its location make it a valuable testimony to the urban heritage of Occitanie.

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