Hôtel de Chazerat, Private mansion in Clermont-Ferrand, France

Hôtel de Chazerat is a Louis XVI-style private mansion at 4 Rue Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, built of grey Volvic stone. Its monumental portal opens onto an oval cour d'honneur whose walls are divided by fluted pilasters and topped by a balustrade. Inside, the white-and-gold grand salon has plaster medallions of the four seasons above the doors and opens east onto a terrace above a small formal garden.

Built between 1760 and 1769, the mansion replaced an earlier residence and was sold as national property during the French Revolution before being used as city offices. It later served as a bishop's home, a wartime hospital, and a university faculty until the regional cultural affairs department moved in after restoration.

The name honours Antoine de Chazerat, the owner who recovered the mansion in 1806 and kept it until his death in 1824. The white-and-gold grand salon, listed with its adjoining study in 1979, has plaster medallions of the four seasons above the doors. Since 1982 the building has housed the regional directorate of cultural affairs.

Wear comfortable shoes because the courtyard and nearby streets have uneven paving that can be tiring to walk on for a long time. Since the building still houses administrative offices, check locally whether interior access is limited to guided visits before planning your time.

Horse sculptures still stand near the entrance to the former stables, a detail most passersby miss because they focus on the main façade. The use of volcanic stone from the nearby Chaîne des Puys also links the building directly to the region's geologic past.