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Origin and history

The Fraxine Thermos originate from the thermal springs known since the 15th century in Ornolac-Ussat-les-Bains. In 1787 Louis de Fraxine, Baron d'Ornolac, donated the summative facilities (deeps in the ground and rudimentary bathtubs) to the Pamiers hospices. These first developments, described as uncomfortable and exposed to Ariège floods, included six baths and two fountains, grouped into unaligned buildings.

In the mid-19th century, the station experienced a major boom with the construction of a new establishment between 1845 and 1855. The engineer Jules François and the architect Casimir Durrieux design a neoclassical building 99 meters long, with a gallery with 34 doric arches and two side pavilions. The work includes underground galleries to channel thermal waters (temperatures ranging from 31°C to 37°C) and avoid mixing with cold Ariège waters. The facade is decorated with bas-reliefs in ceramic (putti playing with garlands) and a vegetal frieze, made by the brothers Virebent of Toulouse in 1855.

The interior houses forty bath cabins equipped with Carrara marble bathtubs (now missing), illuminated by natural days above the doors. The interior decorations, painted in pale red, include ground chambranles and adorned caps. The gallery, initially opened, was glazed in the 20th century. The administrative building, built in 1855 on the other side of the avenue, was transformed into a residence at the end of the 20th century. The ensemble, registered with the Historical Monuments in 1991, reflects the evolution of bathing practices and humanitarian thermal architecture.

The thermal springs, which had been in operation since the 18th century, were initially insecure. A plan of 1821 reveals a building housing about twenty bathtubs, probably a juxtaposition of small buildings adjacent. The reconstruction project of 1845, approved by the Pamiers Hospice (owner since 1787), incorporates a monumental peristyle and reinforced foundations to stabilize the building near the mountain. The cost of decorations (1,080 francs for ceramics, 70 francs for frescoes) is covered by a state subsidy of 5,000 francs.

In the 20th century, modernization was limited to the glazed closure of the gallery and the disappearance of terracotta volutes overtaking the doors. The marble bathtubs, described as innovative in 1869 with their shower system, were removed. Today, the private property Thermes Fraxine retains its neo-classical structure and its thermal vocation, although interior developments have evolved.

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