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Origin and history

Tristan l'Hermite House, also known as Maison de la Cordelière or Hôtel de Pierre du Puy, is a private hotel located at 16 rue Briçonnet in Tours. Built in the 4th quarter of the 15th century, it is distinguished by its sprocket (or not sparrows), typical of Flemish influence, and its brick and stone facade. Inside, a staircase in front of Saint-Gilles in brick, surmounted by a gazebo, bears witness to its refined architecture. The motto "Prayer God pure", engraved on the facade, is associated with Pierre du Puy, merchant and bourgeois of Tours, owner in 1495.

The building also takes its name from the sculpture of a cordon on its façade, symbol of the order founded by Anne of Brittany in 1498. Although often linked to Tristan l-Hermite, the executioner of Louis XI, this attribution remains a popular legend without historical proof. In the 18th century, the house was integrated into a nearby hotel by Jean Charles Viot, trading in silks, before moving on to the Simon family. It will later house the European Institute for the History of Food Crops until 1997, and will be sold to private individuals in 2019.

Ranked among the first French historic monuments in 1862, this house inspired Honoré de Balzac to describe the home of Balthazar Claës in La Recherche de l'absolu. Its architecture, combining local traditions and northern influences, makes it a jewel of the Tourangeau heritage. The city of Tours, in Indre-et-Loire, concentrates several buildings of that time, reflecting its commercial and cultural role under the Ancien Régime.

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