« Hôtel De La Salle » the birthplace

T he “Hôtel de La Salle”, built by Henri Choilly, bears witness to the Renaissance period with an architectural style inspired by antiquity. The building dates from the middle of the 16th century. On the facade the pilasters frame the mullioned windows and a frieze runs between the two levels of habitation; the busts of Adam and Eve, at the gateway, symbolize a fertile family. A small niche intended to receive the image of the Virgin now houses a sculpture of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. I n the inner courtyard, you can see a spiral staircase of great elegance. I n 1609 the great-grandfather of John Baptist bought this house then called Hôtel de la Cloche. There he traded cloth. J ohn Baptist de La Salle was born in Rheims on April 30, 1651. His father, Louis de La Salle, belonged to a bourgeois family who, from merchant became magistrate: he was counsellor to the Presidial -appeal court- of the city. His mother, Nicolle Moët de Brouillet, daughter of another councillor, had also strong land connections. I n 1665, Louis de La Salle, with his wife and their children, left this place to live in a house located rue Sainte-Marguerite. The family growing, he left the home received from their ancestors to his elder brother.