Hôtel d'Alluye

The Hôtel d'Alluye is a grand old house in the city of Blois, Loir-et-Cher, France. It was built for a man named Florimond Robertet, who worked for King Louis XII. The house is named after Florimond's land called Alluyes. It is located on Rue Saint-Honoré, close to the beautiful Blois Cathedral and the famous Château de Blois.

Construction of the Hôtel d'Alluye began around 1498 (or 1500) and finished in 1508. This makes it one of the earliest examples of Renaissance architecture in Blois. The building mixes styles, including Gothic, French Renaissance, and Italian Renaissance design. The Robertet family owned the hotel from 1508 until 1606, but after that, it changed owners many times. Today, since 2007, the building is used as ten apartments and a large office.

Over the years, the Hôtel d'Alluye has changed a lot. Only the east and south wings still look the way they did when they were first built. The west wing was destroyed in the seventeenth century, and the north wing was torn down in 1812. In 1929, the building was officially protected as a monument historique. Since 2011, people have been able to visit the courtyard during special events called European Heritage Days.

Location

The Hôtel d'Alluye is a big old house in Blois, France. It was built close to the Blois Cathedral and the Royal Château de Blois on a street called Rue Saint-Honoré. Long ago, the house was much larger, stretching along the streets on two sides. In 1643, it even grew bigger toward another street, Rue Beauvoir.

We don’t know exactly how the person who built it, Florimond Robertet, got so much space in the middle of the city. He might have bought the land bit by bit or maybe received it as a reward. He also tried to buy a nearby house to make his property even larger, but the owner didn’t agree, so part of that house is still standing today.

History

The Hôtel d'Alluye is a grand old house in Blois, France. It was built for a man named Florimond Robertet, who worked for King Louis XII. Construction started around 1498 or 1500 and finished in 1508. The house shows beautiful French Renaissance style and was one of the first buildings in Blois to have this style.

Over time, parts of the house were lost. The north and west wings were destroyed between the 1600s and 1800s. Today, the building is much smaller than it once was, but it still stands as a special piece of history.

Buildings

The Hôtel d'Alluye has several wings, but some parts are missing today. The north wing was destroyed, and we only know about it from old documents. The east wing still stands but has changed over time. It has special arched openings that look the same as those in the south wing.

The south wing is the main part of the hotel and faces Rue Saint-Honoré. It has a big entrance and includes rooms for guests. The west wing was mostly torn down between the 1600s and 1800s, but we know what it looked like from old records. It once had stables, a special game court, and a chapel.

Façades, entrances and courtyard

The outside of the Hôtel d'Alluye looks like part of the Château de Blois. Over time, changes were made, like adding dormers and altering window designs. Some parts still show the original style, such as decorations on the ground-floor windows and the main door. The walls and windows of the hotel have a Gothic style.

Inside, the hotel has a more modern look inspired by Italian Renaissance design. The galleries inside have special arches, columns on the first floor, and rectangular pillars. You can see Italian influence in the moldings and carvings on doors and pillars, like carvings of facing birds.

Thirteen old terracotta medallions sit on the balcony of the first floor. They show Roman emperors and were influenced by Italian architecture. These medallions were once painted green to look like bronze. The railings on the balcony are inspired by another part of the Château de Blois. The windows were likely added during a restoration in the late 1800s.

The hotel originally had three ways to enter. The main entrance on the south side is still there. Another entrance from the west was closed up in 1606. A third entrance from the 1600s connected the north side to Rue Beauvoir.

The inner courtyard once had a bronze statue of David, a copy made by Donatello and given to the hotel's owner in 1509. The statue was moved to another castle, Château de Bury, by 1513.

Interior decoration

Much of the Hôtel d'Alluye's original inside designs are still there. One big change is the fireplace in the largest room of the south wing. It was repainted and redone by someone named Martin Monestier in the nineteenth century. On the sides of this fireplace, there are two important messages carved in ancient Greek. The first message says, "Remember the common fate," and the second says, "Above all, respect the divine."

Conservation

The Hôtel d'Alluye was named a special historic building on November 6, 1929. It is privately owned, but since 2011, people have been able to visit its courtyard during special heritage days in Europe.