Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel de Simiane, also known as the Hotel de Grignan-Simiane, is an Aixese mansion built in 1697 by François d'Albert and his son Marc-Antoine, both councillors in the Parliament of Provence. Located at 17 rue Goyrand, it embodies the aristocratic civil architecture of the late 17th century, with classical influences peculiar to the Mazarin district, then booming in the Provencal nobility.

In 1732, the hotel was acquired by Pauline de Simiane, widow of the Marquis d'Esparron and granddaughter of Madame de Sévigné, emblematic figure of the worldly and epistolar life of the Great Century. She died there in 1737 after entrusting the interior decorations to architect Thomas Lainé, while Joseph Vernet made the paintings of the upper doors, still visible today. This project is part of a desire to beautify typical of the Aix élites of the time, anxious to compete with Parisian hotels.

The history of the hotel continues in the 18th century with its transmission to the Villeneuve-Vence family, through the marriage of Magdelaine-Sophie of Simiane in 1725. In the next century, it belongs to the Count of Perier, descendant of this line. Ranked a historic monument in 1989, it bears witness to provençal aristocratic networks, mixing literary heritage (via Madame de Sévigné), political power (parliamentary, lieutenant-general) and artistic patronage (Lainé, Vernet).

The building, protected with its garden, fountain and fence wall, also illustrates the evolution of the uses of private hotels: place of noble residence, then of worldly reception, before a possible contemporary heritage vocation. The historical sources, such as the works of Ambrose Roux-Alphéran or Inès Castaldo, underline its role in urban planning and sociability of Aix-en-Provence in the 17th and 18th centuries.

External links