LYON - FRANCE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE —
You hold the key to an exceptional project…
It is rare to have access to a piece of heritage of such high architectural and historic value, for the purpose of a project open to every possibility, in keeping with the place itself and with the treasures inside its walls. This exceptional place – home to the chamberlain, who kept the keys to the city’s canonical district – was also a reception venue at the time of Lyon’s silk industry, a merry and hospitable house with colourful ceremonial rooms graced by trompe l’œil paintings, Italianate murals, broad mullioned windows that let in the light, and extensive stone ornamentation carved by highly-skilled artists. It is up to you to find the key to the future Maison du Chamarier, and to write the next chapter in its history…
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an exceptional heritage to be preserved Built on the old fortifications of the Saint-Jean district enclosure, the Maison du Chamarier is situated between the Primatial Church of Saint-Jean and the Law Courts with their 24-column façade, in the heart of Old Lyon, a Unesco World Heritage Site. — p.4
osmosis between architecture, decor and purpose This house, a landmark that epitomises medieval Lyon, tells the story of its journey from Romanesque to Gothic to Renaissance. Original from an architectural perspective, it marks the acme of refinement among Old Lyon houses, as a prestigious reception venue for senior clergy and the aristocracy. — p.12
a gem ready to host your project The City of Lyon invites you to rehabilitate and occupy this place with bold intelligence, while displaying respect for the building and what it represents in historical and architectural terms. Carte blanche is given to the new tenant, who will have the taste to protect this unique piece of heritage and the desire to establish its new role for decades to come… — p.20
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AN EXCEPTIO HERITAGE TO PRESERVED Admire a historic house privileged to stand on the last remains of the medieval ramparts of Saint-Jean.
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ONAL O BE
Above :
Scenographic drawing of Lyon, circa 1550. View in cavalier perspective, comprising 25 coppersheet engraved sheets. Photograph (reproduction): Gilles Bernasconi / Municipal Archives of Lyon.
The well-guarded secret of a heritage gem
In the heart of Lyon, France’s No.2 tourist destination Lyon is one of Europe’s most attractive cities courtesy of its location and its transport network, which provides connections with 112 towns and cities in France and Europe. — One of the biggest business centres in France. • 5.5 million tourists a year • 2.6 million inhabitants (the Lyon conurbation) • Second-ranking French region - No.1 French region for attracting international companies • Fifth-largest GDP among European regions — > WHY CHOOSE LYON? > LYON: key figures
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Located at 37 Rue Saint-Jean and 2 Rue Mandelot, in Lyon’s fifth arrondissement, and admirably well positioned with regard to tourists, the Maison du Chamarier is the most important and flamboyant historic house in the Old Town.
Saint-Jean: a vibrant district, packed with history
One upon a time, there was Saint-Jean…
Located in the city’s fifth arrondissement, on the west bank of the River Saône and at the foot of Fourvière Hill, the Saint-Jean district is the heart of Lyon’s history. Renowned worldwide for its Renaissance architecture, it is one of the strongest tourist magnets in Lyon, by itself attracting nearly two million visitors a year.
The former capital of Gaul under the Roman Empire, the city hosted a canonical district as early as the 11th century; built by the Archbishop of Lyon and enclosed by walls, it became the district of Saint-Jean. In 1962, the French Minister of Culture André Malraux saved the canonial district from destruction, turning Saint-Jean into a conservation area. In 1998, this historic site was added to Unesco’s World Heritage List.
— > VISITING SAINT-JEAN
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View of the Maison du Chamarier from rue Saint-Jean.
The Chamarier held the keys to the fortifications
François d’Estaing turned his house into a work of art
From the late Middle Ages, an ecclesiastical institution called the “Chapter of Saint-Jean” developed in Lyon and oversaw life within the canonical enclosure. One of its senior dignitaries – called the Chamarier (chamberlain), who headed the police and was in charge of the cloister – kept the keys to the six gates in the city’s fortifications and collected levies when fairs were held.
In 1496, François d’Estaing, canon-count of Lyon, was appointed Chamarier of the Chapter of SaintJean. A house was provided with the post, and d’Estaing carried out extensive works there until 1516. He re-organised the space and transformed a fragmented dwelling into a vast residence that adopted the traditional arrangement of an urban house during the Renaissance. The magnificence of the house – both its façades and interiors – demonstrated the high social status of François d’Estaing.
The Marquise de Sévigné stayed in the house In 1672 and 1673, the Marquise de Sévigné stayed with the chamberlain of the time – stopping over en route to her château in Grignan, in the southeast French county of Drôme, to visit her daughter, with whom she enjoyed a famous correspondence that lasted a quarter of a century.
A house fond of finery
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and prestigious visitors…
The evolution of the Maison du Chamarier reflects the opening of the city’s canonical district; it underwent a gradual transformation until it became a residential block in the 19th century, and lost its historic cachet.
XIIIth century
XVIIth century
Construction of two Romanesque houses, abutting the enclosure wall of the canonical district.
Partial demolition of the enclosure walls, thus connecting the canonical district to the city.
XVth century
XVIIIth century
Partial conversion of these houses into a vast residence owned by the Chapter of Saint-Jean and serving as the chamberlain’s staff accommodation.
The title and post of Chamarier were abolished at the French Revolution. The canonial district was restructured and the house lost its official role.
XVIth century
XIXth century
Interior redesign of the Maison du Chamarier by François d’Estaing.
Creation of several apartments.
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“MORE THAN A House IN OLD LYON, IT WAS AN ADDRESS THAT HOSTED LEADING FIGURES THROUGH HISTORY”. Didier Repellin, chief architect of France’s listed-buildings body (retd).
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OSMOSIS BETW ARCHITECTUR AND PURPOSE The house bears witness to rare kinds of craftsmanship and invites great endeavour to conserve them.
Above :
View of the first-floor barrel vault with its original, shimmering decor.
WEEN RE, DECOR E
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14
182.00.
4 Pièce 33
3 East elevation
Pièce 22
Pièce 23 P203
181.74
2
177.63
P102
177.37
F222
Pièce 12
Pièce 13
F221
172.92
172.76
1
167.42
Rue Saint-Jean
clef de voute 167.15
178.20.
Pièce 04, passage
West elevation
P020
0 Pièce -11
The Maison du Chamarier comprises three corps de logis arranged in a U around an inner courtyard, and has five levels: 0
the cellar
2
the first floor
1
the ground floor
3
the second floor
4
the top floor
Available interior area: 1,074 sq m.
about
The corps de logis and the courtyard: a space ripe for reinvention
F230
P209
F223
Pièce 27
F120
F122
Batiment rue Mandelot
F123
.
Pièce 18
F008
F009
F010a
F010b
P015
Pièce 08
Pièce -12
South elevation
182.00.
178.20.
Décors restauré
.174.03 174.01.
North elevation
175.08.
15
a
e
b
f d
c
g
SOME REMARKABLE FEATURES 17
—a
—c
—e
The façade on Rue Saint-Jean
The well and the fountain
The corner pillar
The main façade exhibits remarkable decorative sculptures that exemplify High Gothic: stone cornices, mullioned windows, pinnacles adorned with finials and crockets.
Both attributed to the Lyon architecte Philibert de l’Orme, the well and the fountain, situated to the rear of the courtyard, date from the late 16th century. Singularly proportioned, the well also stands out by its wealth of decoration: rose, shell, and sculpted-lion ornaments.
This pillar brings together the many stylistic features that a stonecarver or sculpter was taught: first multi-faceted, then round, polygonal, cabled, before ending in a pinnacle.
—d
—f
The loggia and its humanist’s cabinet
The gallery
—b The staircase The tower-shaped spiral staircase displays singular ornamentation, in the Gothic and Renaissance styles. Its corner windows are arrestingly modern. The cabled column of the staircase, sculpted from the same stone as the steps, reaches upward with fan-like elegance.
On the first floor, a colourful loggia, monumental though intimate, reveals decoration dating from 1520, the period of Honoré d’Urfé, including a painted trompe l’œil mural of a cabinet of curiosities.
Added in the 17th century, the gallery exhibits a particularly handsome ironwork grille, simply yet skilfully executed.
—g Each Chamarier added his family coat of arms to the wall. • the arms, formed by a lily, of the d’Estaing family • the laurel crown of Charles d’Estaing • the arms of the Chapter of Saint Jean
The artistic dimension of the House 18
has yet to be fully unveiled… The chamberlain invited the artists of the age to paint and decorate the house. Many original items of decor, located by archaeological surveys, have not yet been brought to light. The future tenant can be dazzled by fresh finds…
The house particularly highlights the stonecarvers’ techical prowess
A 2005 renovation offered these treasures to the gaze
The Maison du Chamarier possesses numerous features reflecting stonecarvers’ savoir-faire and masterpieces of stereotomy (the art of cutting stones with a view to their assembly).
The Maison du Chamarier was partly included in a huge renovation scheme, co-funded by the City of Lyon and the French government, which was competed in 2005. This work on the external parts of the building, and on the courtyard, restored the complex to its former glory: galleries were reopened; roof tiles and lathing were replaced; and façades, paintwork, stained glass and joinery were restored, as were the original mullioned windows. The demolition of certain partitions laid bare the coherence of the initial interior proportions. The building now requires considerable rehabilitation, including enhancements to its interior rooms, appropriate for its new purpose.
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“The cream-coloured rendering and the window-frames in stucco marble, a leading craft in the 15th century, lend the façade an understated tone, unlike the neighbouring residences. Here, the vivid colours are inside!” Didier Repellin, chief architect of France’s listed-buildings body (retd).
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A GEM READY TO HO YOUR PROJEC A house open to your imagination and dreams‌ It is for you to create the next chapter in its story!
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OST CT
Above :
Detail of the shell decorating the superb well in the interior courtyard.
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View by Asylum
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“This was the most spectacular room, with its series of mullioned windows, its painted decor, its coats of arms, and its ceiling of whitewashed exposed beams. France’s greatest families have stayed a while at the Maison du Chamarier.” Didier Repellin, chief architect of France’s listed-buildings body (retd).
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A potential limited only by your imagination The Maison du Chamarier is a gem that is lying dormant. To be awakened, it must be operated in an original and innovative way that stems from its potential.
You have to push open a wide door to discover the splendid inner courtyard and the inspired building which has delighted visitors, dignitaries and the greatest families of France. Designed by definition as a reception venue, it contains multiple living rooms, ceremonial rooms, and apartments.
Today, this refined and luxurious residence in the Renaissance syle is still the ideal place for playing host to new occupants in a richly characterful setting. Offering large proportions, with three corps de logis simply articulated around an inner courtyard, the Maison du Chamarier invites the possibility of managing the space differently. It could be adapted for an array of purposes: art gallery, corporate headquarters, architects’ offices, museum, hospitality venue, cultural amenity, hotel, housing‌ It all remains to be envisioned, written and proposed.
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How to safeguard this heritage AND TRANSFORM THE PLACE FOR ITS NEW PURPOSE‌ Any project initiator wishing to breath fresh life into this piece of heritage is invited to submit an application before the deadline of 3 July 2015. The initiator has complete freedom to realise their dream in this place; to rework the space in keeping with the architecture; and to imagine and conceive how to bring the house back to life.
Context of the call for applications: The City of Lyon is issuing a call for applications for the provision of the Maison du Chamarier to an operator under a lease, constitutive of rights in rem, for a maximum term of ninety-nine years. The tenant undertakes: to restore the Maison du Chamarier in keeping with applicable regulations and those relating to its status as a listed building (i.e. registered as a Monument Historique in France); to bring the place back to life while ensuring its long-term use. The City of Lyon imposes no specific restrictions as to the future purpose of the Maison du Chamarier.
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Further details: The technical specifications (available in English), measured surveys, technical audit, and other additional information (in French only) can be obtained: BY EMAIL
maisonduchamarier@mairie-lyon.fr
BY TELEPHONE
(+33) 4.72.10.38.52 / (+33) 4.72.10.56.42
Property factsheet Name
Maison du Chamarier
Address
37 rue Saint-Jean et 2 rue Mandelot, 69005 Lyon
City
Lyon, Saint-Jean district
“Vieux-Lyon” conservation area, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Region
Rhône-Alpes
Access
metro, bus, Vélov hire bike
Land and property registry plot
AI 10
Available inside area
approx. 1,074 sq m
Layout
3 corps de logis around an inner courtyard of about 89 sqm
Status
owned by the City of Lyon
Building listed as a Monument Historique by ministerial decree on 15 September 1943 Annexe on 2 rue Mandelot registered in the Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques by prefectural decree on 12 April 1937. Distinguishing historic feature: includes the last remains of Lyon’s canonical enclosure wall. Location: inside the Saint-Jean cloister, a few steps from the Cathedral.
Direction Centrale de l’Immobilier Service Prospective et Analyse Immobilière
Devised by:
Photographs:
Co-influence
Muriel Chaulet
Graphic design:
Frédéric Guignard-Perret
Cyrille Montagnier