Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Villa Servant and the Majestic Pavilion are part of the former Grand Hotel & Majestic Palace, a thermal palace built between 1862 and 1912 in Chamalières, near Royat-les-Bains (Puy-de-Dôme). Originally named Hôtel de Royat (1865-1868), then Grand Hôtel Servant (1869-1911), the establishment was expanded in successive phases under the direction of the Servant family, becoming a symbol of luxury and hotel innovation. Its neo-Louis XIII architecture, inspired by Parisian buildings such as the Place des Vosges, blends red brick, white stone and slate, while its equipment (hydraulic elevator in 1887, electric lighting in 1891, telephone in the rooms before 1939) made it a model of modernity.

The Majestic Pavilion, Art Nouveau annex of the complex, was inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1975 (renewed in 2022) for its facades in green and white enamelled bricks, its ironwork and its staircase turret. The main body of the palace, transformed into a condominium in 1950 after requisitions during the two world wars (military hospital in 1915-1917, seat of ministries in 1940-1942), welcomed personalities such as Edmond de Goncourt, Felix Faure, or Marshal Pétain. His 4-hectare park, Louis XVI salons and innovations (lawn-tennis in 1883, cinema in 1915) bear witness to his golden age.

The history of the Grand Hotel is linked to that of the Servant family, the hotel owners who acquired the lease in 1869 before becoming owners in 1873. Under their direction, the hotel moved from 28 rooms in 1865 to 300 rooms and 50 apartments in 1912, attracting an international clientele (aristocrats, artists, politicians). The First World War marked a turning point: the palace was requisitioned as a hospital and then as a place of power under Vichy and never reopened after 1945. Its transformation into a condominium in 1950, led by architect Louis Milon de Peillon, sealed the end of his hotel era.

Architects Nicolas Mourton (first construction site, 1862-1864), William Klein, Albert Duclos and Ernest Mizard (enlargements, 1875-1912) gave the building its eclectic style, while local artisans (sculptors Théophile Pradeaud, ironmakers Clément Chaussegros) and international (sanitaries J.L. Mott of New York, plumbing Laurent Bouillet of Monaco) contributed to its fascist. The interior decorations, now partially disappeared, included woodwork, gypseries and stained glass, reflecting the opulence of the Belle Époque.

The Majestic Pavilion, located at 33 avenue de la Gare, is distinguished by its Art Nouveau facade and glazed bricks, rare in Auvergne. Built in the early twentieth century, it served as an annex to the palace and now houses housing. Its inscription in the Historical Monuments in 2022 (replacing that of 1975) protects its facades, roofs and decorative elements. The park, alleys and gates of the Grand Hotel were protected in 2021, recognizing the heritage value of this emblematic collection of French thermal history.

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