Hôtel de Bagis

You get so used to the whole city being pink that you’re genuinely surprised when you see a white facade! Hôtel de Bagis, also known as Hôtel de Clary or Hôtel Daguin, is in fact the city’s only monument built entirely of stone. Toulousians call it Hôtel de Pierre, Stone Hotel. It’s the first Renaissance townhouse and the first work of the architect Nicolas Bachelier, who studied under Michelangelo in Italy. The very first owner was Jean de Bagis, member of the Bordeaux parliament. He bought five buildings and transformed them into a private mansion. The building then passed through the hands of several different owners. The façade that stands before you today was built in 1606, under the ownership of François de Clary. He was no ordinary man: he was a chief judge and adviser to the king. And what better way to show it off? De Clary enlisted the best stonemasons of his time and had a beautifully sculpted facade built, not in brick as was customary, but in stone. He was even accused of stealing some of the stones that were to be used in the construction of the stone bridge. This story even inspired a popular saying. It was said that “there are more stones from the bridge in the Stone Hotel than there are in the actual bridge itself”. During the Revolution, the occupant of the time, another parliamentarian, was arrested, tried and guillotined, and the hotel became national property. The building was listed as a historic monument in 1889 and is now a private condominium.