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Origin and history

Hotel Avril de la Roche is a private hotel located at 9-11 rue des Deux-Haies in Angers, in the department of Maine-et-Loire. Its origin dates back to at least the 15th century, as evidenced by architectural elements such as a medieval bay and a stair tower. The present building probably results from the gathering of two medieval plots, originally forming a U-shaped plan with two bodies of symmetrical houses connected by a gallery built in 1586, as indicated by a cartridge dated on a bay.

In the 16th century, the hotel had a courtyard bordered by a left (preserved) house body, a body of right houses (now gone), and a gallery decorated with sculptures. The Avril de la Roche family, certified on the scene in 1610, gave its name to the building. In the 17th century, the building was subdivided, and modifications took place, such as adding bays on the courtyard side. In 1827, the hotel, then owned by entrepreneur Guillaume-Jean Letourneau and architect Jacques-Louis François-Villers, was sold in lots, marking the beginning of major transformations.

During the first half of the 19th century, the entrance body was rebuilt, the left house and part of the gallery were raised from one floor, while the stair tower lost its cover. The right part (n°11) was destroyed in the second half of the 19th century to give way to modern constructions, and the left part (n°9) was reduced by the drilling of Rue de la Roë. Around 1980, the remaining house and the gallery were restored, preserving remarkable elements such as the stone screw staircase and tufted decorations.

The building is partially protected: its courtyard façade has been listed as historical monuments since February 16, 1925. The materials used, such as the house shale and the tunnel for the gallery, reflect local resources. Today, only the left house body (n°9), with its medieval bay prior to the 15th century and its gallery of 1586, remains as a testimony of this aristocratic hotel angevin, mixing Gothic heritage and Renaissance influences.

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