In 1892, Madame Leclerc-Morel, heir to the Fortune of the Great Mills of Strasbourg, built the Roman House in Epinal, France. The architect, Jean Boussard, made changes to fit the building to the Vosges climate. Fate was unkind, as Madame Leclerc-Morel never saw the completion of her vision. Epinal city purchased the property in 1902, and it became home to the municipal library. From 1906, the Roman House displayed the boiseries of the Moyenmoutier Abbey.
The Roman House, including the villa, dependencies, old winter garden, walls, and gardens, was inscribed as a historic monument in 1990. The entrance hall is composed of two atriums covered and two impluviums. The exterior is made up of columns, and two lion statues guard the entrance. The interior paintings are in the Pompeian style. The rosery, in the French style, covers an area of 3000 square meters and offers more than 500 varieties of roses.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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