CHÂTEAU LAFONT LASSUS NESTIER

About

Listed and designated a Historic Monument.

The 18th-century Château Lafont.

The façade was listed in 1927.

The grand staircase was listed in 1931.

The Etigny lanes were opened through the fields in 1762 by the baron of the same name, to link the village to the ‘Baigneries’. A medical service was organised and roads were laid out to link the market town with Montréjeau. In 1763, Cardinal de Richelieu visited Luchon; the royal nobility were won over, and the resort of Bagnères-de-Luchon was launched. These new avenues, 30 metres wide and nearly 600 metres long, facilitated urban development, and from the 18th century onwards, grand residences were built there. The Allées d’Etigny form a fairly uniform ensemble comprising buildings in a wide variety of architectural styles.

The building is aligned with the even-numbered side of the Allées d’Etigny but is not adjoining any neighbouring properties. Built on a nearly square plan, it is covered by a hipped slate roof. The corners on the side facing the avenue are marked by harped corner quoins.

The façade comprises five bays, the window and door frames of which are distinguished by their use of red Signac marble. Despite their alternating arrangement, one can note the large dimensions of the windows and their wooden frames, which form small panes. In the roof, the first storey features three hipped dormers with three slopes (known as ‘capucine’), whilst the second level has two double-pitched dormers (known as ‘Jacobin’ dormers), the gables of which are adorned with a carved wooden motif that is repeated on all sides of the building.

Capucine dormers are also found on all sides of the roof but have sometimes been replaced by large Jacobine dormers. The rear elevation follows the same five-bay division, but the windows are smaller than those on the front façade and their frames are covered in white render. The central bay has a difference in level as it corresponds to the location of the staircase. The staircase occupies the central bay of the building, with the rooms arranged on either side.