City Mansion 'Hôtel Berton de Crillon'

This private home was built in 1648 for Louis III de Berton (1608-1695), Baron of Crillon, seigneur of Saint-Jean-de-Vassols, colonel general of the pontifical artillery. The home was built on the site of the former cardinal’s palace that belonged to Bertrand de Deaux, archbishop of Embrun who later became a cardinal. The last person to occupy the cardinal palace was Martín de Zalba (†1403), bishop of Pamplona and cardinal, who left his name to the palace, which then became the property of the Berton de Crillon family.


On 10 September 1648, Louis III de Berton reached a fixed-price agreement with two brothers, Jean and André Bontoux, master-masons in Avignon. He contracted for the demolition and reconstruction of his home based on the Dominique Bourbon drawings, made by an Italian by the name of Domenico Borboni. Construction was completed in July 1649. Dominico Borboni hailed from Bologna and had lived in Avignon between 1645 and 1663. In a historical record he is referred to as ‘excellent painter’. In Avignon he worked more as a decorator than as an architect. Louis III de Berton signed two other ‘fixed-price’ works: on 22 October 1648, with the master woodworker Jacques Planche, for the windows on the front elevation and on 7 December 1648 with the carpenter Jean Suchet, for the demolition and reconstruction of the roof and floors of the house. In the first contract, for the work on the façade, Louis III de Berton had intended for the work to be done and paid for separately. Joseph Girard wondered who had done the work and noted that in the two fixed-price agreements, the Avignon sculptor Jean-André Borde had signed as witness. He then presumed that he was doubtlessly the sculptor of the sculpted decoration, of the mantlepiece, and of the outstanding 'impériale' staircase. There is no conclusive proof if he was the designer or if he solely reproduced the drawings by the architect Domenico Borboni, who was also known as a decorator. All the commentary on this home has emphasized its Italian character. In his description of the home, André Hallays indicates that 'all the decorative elements of the last Renaissance are accumulated here', which testifies to a certain architectural delay with respect to what was being built in 1648.

mansion and found the home ‘very beautiful, built and and painted in the Italian style’.

In 1693, a chapel was built inside the home by the mason Pierre Thibaut based on the drawings by Pierre Mignard.

The Crillon barony was raised to the status of a duchy on 27 September 1725 by Pope Benedict XIII in favour of François Félix Berton des Balbes de Crillon.

Since the Crillon family was in favour at the royal court in France, it celebrated all the monarchy festivities in its home. Members of the royal family, or high dignitaries travelling through Avignon, all stayed at the hôtel de Crillon mansion. This included the Princess of Conti in 1730, the Duke of Richelieu and the Marquis de Rochechouart, governor of Provence, in 1744, the Count of Provence in 1777, the Duke of Cumberland, brother of the King of England, in 1784, and others.

The Crillon mansion was seized by the revolutionaries during the French Revolution, for the Duke of Crillon-Mahon, grandee of Spain, who was outside of France, was deemed to be an émigré. The mansion was used for the meetings held by the Committee investigating the murder of Lescuyer and the la Glacière massacre. Representatives sent to Avignon, Rebecqui and Bertin, were housed there in 1792. The Land Registry offices were set up there in the year III. Then the mansion was given back to the heirs of the Duke of Crillon-Mahon, who sold it. It was bought by the businessman Deleutre in the year XI, who sold off the outbuildings.

The mansion was purchased in 1887 by Théodule de Gramont, who was related to the de Crillon family by marriage.

The façade of the mansion was registered as a historical monument on 26 June 1915. The façades on the courtyard, and the great stairway were registered on 4 October 1932 and the roof was registered on 26 May 1951.

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