Hôtel de Cabre

Check out the building on your right! It’s actually the oldest house in all of Marseille. They call it the Hôtel de Cabre because it was built by a Marseille merchant of the same name, way back in the 1500s! Its architecture is completely different from that of other buildings in the area, fusing Gothic and Renaissance styles. The entrance is on the other side of the building, on the right, on Grand-Rue Street. If you head over there, you’ll see the effigies of its former owners, Louis de Cabre and his wife, on the first floor. There’s also a statue of Saint James, a nod to Jacques de Cabre, the owner’s father. You might also notice that the wall bears the inscription “rue de la Bonneterie” in black, right above the new street sign for the Grand-Rue. That’s actually the old name of the street! Back in the day, we could also see some fleurs-de-lys on the building, but those got destroyed during the French Revolution because they were a royal symbol. It’s pretty amazing that this house is still here. You see, during World War II, the Germans demolished a huge part of this area as they thought it dangerous. 2,000 locals were deported, and more than 1,500 apartment buildings were destroyed.  But somehow, the Hôtel de Cabre miraculously survived the war. Then in 1954, when they were rebuilding the neighborhood, they almost tore it down again. Luckily, it’s a listed historical monument, so they decided against it. They actually moved the whole building 15 meters and rotated it 90 degrees to fit in with the new layout of the Grand-Rue! They basically put the house on a giant platform and rolled it into place! Easy peasy! So that’s how this incredible piece of history is still standing after 500 years.