Fantastic Find Saved: Hôtel Chappaz à Béziers

As you may know, over the past six years I've been privileged to spend a lot of time hanging out with my best friend Bonnie (she of the enviable ancestral records) near Béziers in the south of France. Whenever we visit the town we always seem to pass by this absolutely gorgeous old house that's right across the street from the new shopping center.

[Photo courtesy of Luc Beelen]

The building is truly exceptional so you can imagine my horror when Bonnie told me last summer that it was scheduled to be demolished. And when I got an email from her recently with the subject line, "That wonderful house in Bez" I was almost certain the news would be bad.

But no, Hôtel Chappaz will be preserved, becoming an annex to the the new Palais de Justice* being built on the block next door.

The fantastic sculptures that ornament the house were done by Béziers' native son Jean-Antonin Injalbert (1845–1933), a sculptor of great national importance.

[All photos courtesy of Luc Beelen]

M. Chappaz made his fortune from vermouth in the late 19th century and obviously wanted to display his wealth.

[Source: Patrimoine de France, photo credit Fatma Alilate 2014]

If you want to see a dozen more photos of Hôtel Chappaz, visit Patrimoine de France's website (in French).

Thanks again to Luc for giving me permission to use his photos.

*In the linked video showing a 3D architectural of the new building titled "Projet Beige" you can catch glimpses of Hôtel Chappaz hiding itself behind some trees.

© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.