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Origin and history

The Hongran Palace of Fiano, built between 1769 and 1772 in Nice, is a report building commissioned by the family of the Counts of Hongran, originally from Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée. It rises in the Vila nova district, born from the urban extension to the mouth of the Paillon after the destruction of the ramparts in 1706. Joseph-Antoine Hongran, notary and merchant, acquired the land in 1760, but the works only began after his death in 1765, under the impulse of his son Joseph-François, who added the title of Count of Fiano in 1772. The building is distinguished by its monumental stairwell, its rampant ceilings and, later, Art Nouveau painted decorations attributed to Maurice Pillard-Verneuil.

Confiscated during the Revolution, the palace briefly welcomed Napoleon Bonaparte from 26 March to 2 April 1796, while he commanded the Italian Army. In the 19th century, it houses a municipal library and a museum, frequented by Guillaume Apollinaire in 1897 during his preparation for the baccalaureate. The author studies the history of Provence in Nostradamus, evoking this place as a refuge away from the carnival agitation in Nice. The monument, classified in 2010, now preserves rare elements such as ancient huisseries, tomettes and 17 painted door tops.

The architecture of the palace reflects its dual heritage: an 18th century staircase of exceptional magnitude for Nice, and interior decorations of the 20th century, especially in the apartment on the 4th floor west, preserved in total. The facade and roof, as well as the hall and the large staircase with its painted decor, are protected since the inscription to the Historical Monuments. The building also illustrates the social changes in Nice, from an aristocratic residence to a cultural place and then to a housing building marked by political and literary history.

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