Ordering marbles 1760 (≈ 1760)
Market for the choir decor.
1763
Doride of capitals
Doride of capitals 1763 (≈ 1763)
Partial work still visible.
1869
Acquisition by Charmeil
Acquisition by Charmeil 1869 (≈ 1869)
Land and construction of the portico.
13 décembre 2007
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 13 décembre 2007 (≈ 2007)
Protection of decor and pavilions.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The marble decoration of the church Saint-Pierre-le-Marché (present-day church Notre-Dame) , mounted in the garden of the house located 14, rue Voltaire ; the kiosk which houses him at 14, rue Voltaire; the two pavilions supporting the kiosk, sis 16, rue Voltaire and 11, rue Neuve-des-Bouchers (Box HX 122, 136): registration by order of 13 December 2007
Key figures
Alphonse Joseph Charmeil - Painter and owner
Acquire the land and built the porch.
Origin and history
The house located at 14 rue Voltaire in Bourges, built in the 3rd quarter of the 18th century, occupies a plot formerly belonging to the large garden of the convent of the nuns of Saint-Laurent before the Revolution. This land was acquired in 1869 by the painter Alphonse Joseph Charmeil, who had there built a portico to house the marbles of the choir of the Saint-Pierre-le-Marché church, sold by the parish factory. These elements, dating from a market in 1760, include ionic pilasters, a partially preserved gilded entablement (goldwork completed in 1763), and sites originally dedicated to religious paintings, now replaced by ice cream and a door.
The marble decoration, protected by a trapezoidal kiosk reproducing the apsidial arrangement of the choir, was classified as Historic Monument by order of 13 December 2007. The two adjacent pavilions, located at 16 Voltaire Street and 11 Neuve-des-Bouchers Street, complete this architectural complex. Charmeil's project aimed to preserve this disused religious heritage, while integrating into private property, thus illustrating a secular reappropriation of post-Revolution sacred elements.
The current address (14-16 Voltaire Street and 11 Rue Neuve-des-Bouchers) corresponds to the former Conventual Parcel, transformed after 1869. The location, noted as satisfactory a priori (level 6/10), allows to identify the site in the historical center of Bourges. The marbles, originally designed for the church of Saint-Pierre-le-Marché (now Notre-Dame), bear witness to the artistic fascist of the eighteenth century and its posterity through unusual reuses.
