Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Bernard Pastoureau's house, located in Bourges, was built between 1565 and 1569, a period marked by the unrest of the religious wars. At that time, the city was ravaged by the Huguenot troops, and this building is distinguished by its stone trim, plated on a pre-existing medieval structure. It embodies an attempt to integrate Italian ornaments with French architectural forms, illustrating the transition between Renaissance and classical architecture of the reign of Henry IV.

This manerist achievement is exceptional in a city like Bourges, largely rebuilt in wood after the fire of 1487. The house is singularized by its screw staircase and adorned facades, protected since 2004. It bears witness to a pivotal period when Renaissance art, imported from Italy, begins to influence local constructions, while preserving traces of medieval techniques.

The building, now privately owned, is located at 25 rue d'Auron and 1 rue Fernault. Its inscription in the Historical Monuments in 2004 concerns facades, roofs, interior staircase and cellars. Localization, noted as "passable" (5/10), may reflect uncertainties related to its preservation or accessibility, in an urban context where medieval and reborn heritage coexists with subsequent reconstructions.

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