Hôtel de Brégançon

At No.17 of Rue Thiers, Hôtel Ricard de Brégançon or Hôtel des Gabelles (1670) designed by the architect Rambot, was owned by Louis-Hercule de Ricard, Marquis of Brégançon, a member of the Parliament of Provence and a native of Toulon.


The Ricard family distinguished itself for Malta in the 17th century. In 1855 the Sec family purchased the mansion. This explains the presence, in the entrance hall, of a monumental stone statue from the tomb of Joseph Sec, built two years before his death in 1794 (it has since disappeared).



Note a large Baroque staircase with original plaster mouldings and art metalwork. At the corners of each floor are allegorical motifs: a dog, a monkey, an eagle…On the first floor are two painted ceilings, one of which is attributed to Van Loo.


The end of the 19th century saw developments in building techniques: cast iron was used instead of wrought iron in fanlight gratings, railings and door knockers, and the 18th-century volutes were replaced by vertical bars meeting in an arch.