HISTORY

Sarrancolin marble has been quarried since Roman times, with its sites repeatedly opened and closed over the centuries. The quarries were reopened in the 16th century, and from April 1686 to September 1689, large marble blocks were transported to Paris for the grand construction projects of King Louis XIV.

In 1692, a royal decree officially declared the quarries as “royal,” reserving their use solely for the king. This magnificent stone continued to be used throughout the 19th century — most famously in the thirty monolithic columns of the Palais Garnier opera house, built in 1887.

You’ll also find Sarrancolin marble gracing the interiors of the Louvre, the Basilica in Lourdes, and other architectural gems across France. Even across the Atlantic, this marble found its place — used in the interiors of the Empire State Building in the 1930s.

The quarries were acquired by Carrieres Plo in 1992, and this extraordinary marble is still being extracted today.