Private mansions
Amazing, esthetic, magnificient…There is no end of words to describe the private mansions of Castres. These precious remains from a prosperous period, with a remarkable architecture, are to be admired when walking in the town centre.
Mansions in Renaissance style
These magnificent mansions, built in the 17th century, belonged to rich merchants. In Henry IV reign, during the Renaissance period, an important number of magistrates settled in Castres, following the establishment of the “Tribunal de l’Edit”. It was the beginning of a rich and prosperous era in which were built beautiful constructions.
Beautiful masterpieces of architecture
You will be strucked by the architectural beauty, sometimes flamboyant, of these mansions : corner turrets on corbelling, elaborate brick decoration called “cul de lampe” (Hôtel Jean Leroy), caryatids holding a Renaissance-style loggia (Hôtel de Poncet), Tudor style windows around the main gate (Hôtel de Nayrac). Their specific aesthetic will take your breath away!
Strange details...
You will be certainly questioned by some strange details : why Hôtel de Viviès has such an atypical construction, « Coelum non solum » engraved on Hôtel Jean Leroy or the the strange and special sculptures of Hôtel de Poncet… A must to discover!
Four private mansions to discover while strolling through Castres :
- Hôtel de Nayrac, rue Frédéric Thomas
- Hôtel de Poncet, rue Gabriel Guy
– Hôtel Jean Leroy, rue Chambre de l’Edit
– Hôtel de Viviès, rue Chambre de l’Edit
or, online (at the end of the Guide) here.