Hôtel de l'Europe, Private mansion in 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France.
The Hôtel de l'Europe, formerly Hôtel de Senozan, is a private mansion near the northwest corner of Place Bellecour, on the Saône side. Its pale beige facade has horizontal rustication, quoins, and a stone pediment; four tall windows per floor on the first and second storeys are framed by dark pink shutters and wrought-iron balconies. A stone panel above the entrance reads "HOTEL DE L'EUROPE".
Girard Desargues drew the plans and the mansion was built around 1653 for Pierre Perrachon de Saint-Maurice on the site of the old customs house of the Port du Roy. In 1707 it passed to the Olivier de Senozan family, who had Daniel Sarrabat decorate it around 1721. After the Revolution it became a travellers' hotel, known as the "Palace of the greats of this world", and the hotel activity ended in the early 20th century.
Lyonnais painter Daniel Sarrabat created detailed interior decorations in the early 18th century, filling rooms with mythological scenes in the Minerva and Hercules salons. These artworks shape the visual character of the space today.
The building is private and not open to visitors; its hotel activity ended in the early 20th century and it has since been modified. The facade can be seen from the public street near the northwest corner of Place Bellecour, on the Saône side, where the stone panel reading "HOTEL DE L'EUROPE" and the wrought-iron balconies with pink shutters are visible from outside.
The coffered ceiling on the second floor displays Louis XIV craftsmanship with intricate carved details rarely seen today. This architectural technique required skilled labor and remains one of the building's most technically accomplished features.
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