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Origin and history

The house of Rabelais is a Renaissance residence located in the centre of Langeais, at the corner of Gambetta Street and Place Pierre-de-Brosse. Built in the 16th century, it is distinguished by its corbelled floor and bays decorated with canned pilasters surmounted by Renaissance capitals. Although local tradition claims that François Rabelais stayed there, no historical source confirms this attribution.

The facades on the street and the roofs of the house were inscribed as historical monuments by order of 16 September 1943. Originally, the windows were equipped with shingles, now missing. This building illustrates the civil architecture of the Renaissance in Touraine, marked by decorative elements inspired by antiquity, such as pilasters and capitals.

The building is part of the architectural heritage of Indre-et-Loire, a region where the Renaissance has left a lasting mark, notably through bourgeois houses and castles. Its inscription in 1943 reflects the desire to preserve this testimony of the urban history of Langeais, a city marked by its medieval castle and its strategic role in the Loire Valley.

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