Construction of the villa 1911 (≈ 1911)
Built for Madame Moutaud, carved decoration.
1983
Contemporary expansion
Contemporary expansion 1983 (≈ 1983)
Low wing added to the initial kernel.
26 janvier 1998
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 26 janvier 1998 (≈ 1998)
Protection of the villa and its garden.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Villa, including the following rooms with their decoration: vestibule, staircase with a cage decorated with stained glass, two lounges and dining room on the ground floor, as well as the garden with its fence (Box AI 224): inscription by order of 26 January 1998
Key figures
Madame Moutaud - First owner
Sponsor of the villa in 1911.
Raoul Mabru - Sculptor
Author of Art Nouveau decors, 29.
Origin and history
The Villa Stella, located in the upper part of Royat, a spa town of Auvergne, was built in 1911 for Madame Moutaud. This district, set between 1880 and 1914, housed mainly bourgeois villas and physician residences, surrounded by small parks. The villa, of classic design, is distinguished by its facade decorated with sculptures Art Nouveau and neo-Louis XVI, made by sculptor Raoul Mabru, then 29 years old and at the beginning of his career. Its decor, including a young woman and children in the round, blends harmoniously with architecture, both outdoor and indoor (stuces, stained glass).
The villa illustrates the bourgeois architecture of the Belle Époque, mixing tradition (symmetric plan, roof terrace) and modernity (art nouveau details). The original square core was enlarged in 1983 by a contemporary wing, without altering the original spirit. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1998, it protects its vestibule, lounges, dining room and garden with its grill, testimonies of an exceptional thermal and artistic heritage.
Raoul Mabru, a local sculptor, signed one of his masterpieces, marking the transition between academicism and the innovative currents of the early twentieth century. The villa, commissioned by an easy owner, reflects the taste of the royal elite for residences combining comfort, aesthetics and symbolism (monogram "M" on balconies, family allegories). Its location, at the corner of Boulevard Barrieu and Avenue Jean Heitz, makes it a majestic urban landmark.
The neighborhood, developed for an easy clientele coming to enjoy the thermal baths, concentrated private villas and hotels. The Stella villa, with its carved porch and bays decorated with ironwork, embodies this seaside and medical heritage. The materials (stone, wrought iron) and the motifs (foils, ribbons) underline a search for elegance, while the interiors, preserved, reveal a refined art of living, typical of the aristocracy and the thermal bourgeoisie of the time.
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