The House of the Infanta, also known as Maison Joanoenia, is a historic building located in Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Built around 1640 by the Basque shipowner Joannot de Haraneder, the building features towers, facades of pink brick and stone, and two galleries with five arcades on the main facade. It overlooks the port of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
In June 1660, the building welcomed the Queen Mother and the Infanta Marie-Thérèse for her marriage to Louis XIV. The ceremony took place on June 9, 1660, in the town. The bride, described as small and blonde with blue eyes, wore a silver brocade dress with a purple velvet mantle. The King wore gold cloth veiled with black lace. Before the wedding, the couple and their entourage went to pray at the Recollets convent in Ciboure, located across the port.
In 1701, the house also welcomed the grandchildren of Louis XIV, the Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Berry, who were accompanying their brother, King Philippe V, to Madrid. Later, in 1854, Napoleon III and Eugénie stayed at the house while it was owned by a Parisian lawyer, Émile Pécarrère.
Today, visitors can see the grand salon's antechamber, which contains a 17th-century carved chimney decorated with crowned dolphins and angel heads, and a decor of beams from the Fontainebleau school. The oratory extending from the salon offers a view of the port and the Rhune. Above the door, an inscription reads: "L’infante je reçus l'an mil six cent soixante, on m'appelle depuis le château de l'infante".
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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