Just as was the case for the Intendants,
the prelates of the XVIIIth were veritable
urban developers. Building their residences,
and sometimes palaces, they created
new quarters and changed the face of
the city.
On becoming Archbishop of Bordeaux in
1771, Ferdinand-Maximilien Mériadec
de Rohan undertook the complete restructuring
of the old Archbishop's palace that,
since the Middle-Ages had occupied the
North West angle of the Cathedral. The
palace had been renovated a century
earlier by Cardinal François
de Sourdis.
In 1771, Joseph Etienne was given the
study of the palace and its grounds.
The sale of the lands around the palace
and the revenues of the diocese would
help to finance the building. Unhappy
with Etienne, the Archbishop retained
Bonfin, the city architect who completed
the work with the builder Poirier. As
the cost of the building continued to
rise, the Archbishop was forced to use
his own fortune. He was followed by
Mgr Champion de Cicé in 1781.
The Palace was completed in 1784.
Stressed with columns, the wall of the
cloisters is not unlike the original
design that was proposed by the architect
ode Neufforge in 1770. Along both sides
of the courtyard, low buildings link
the lodges to a colonnade. At the end
of the courtyard, a facade with a central
portico dominates the ensemble with
its very clean lines. The rear facade
of the building is identical and is
prolonged by two low pavilions with
balusters with bays mounted with garlands.
The very structured and dry nature of
these lines can be explained by the
presence of Victor Louis in Bordeaux,
who at the same time was building the
Grand Thêatre.
Despite numerous modifications, the
interior of the palace has kept the
Grand staircase designed by Boffin,
a series of saloons on the ground floor
with sculpted lime woodwork, sculpted
by Cabirol and a dining room decorated
with trompe-l’œils by Lacour
and Beringazo. Two decorations, a Pompeiian,
the other in an antique renaissance
style are excellent examples of the
refined Bordelais interior of the period. |
| Philippe
PREVOT |
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