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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Hotel Arbelet, also known as a carved house, is an iconic mansion located at 17 rue de l'Arquebuse in Autun, Saône-et-Loire. Built in the last quarter of the 19th century, it is distinguished by its facade richly decorated with sculptures depicting characters, animals, fruits and foliage. Originally, the project provided for a symmetrical house, but only the right wing was realized.

The building was erected in the 1840s for the Arbelet family, according to the plans of the Austrian architect and sculptor Claude Quarré, also known for having designed the statue of the Virgin at the top of the Ursulines tower. A third floor was later added, when the building was transformed into apartments, by an advance from the top to the balustrade of the upper terrace.

The Hotel Arbelet has been partially protected as historical monuments since 29 October 1975, with an inscription covering its facade and roof on street. This monument illustrates 19th-century bourgeois architecture, combining neo-Renaissance influences and local expertise in sculpture.

At the back of the house, a garden completes the whole, although the sources do not specify its original layout. The building, now divided into apartments, retains a heritage value marked by its carved decoration and its history linked to the 19th century Autunian elite.

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