Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house located at 68 rue Colbert in Tours, in the department of Indre-et-Loire, is an old mansion built in the 15th century. It is distinguished by its wood-paned structure, characteristic of late medieval civil architecture. The facade on the street and the roof, the most remarkable elements, were inscribed in the historical monuments by order of 8 July 1946. This ranking reflects the heritage importance of this building, representative of the Old Towers.

Colbert Street, where this house is located, follows the path of an ancient road and was until the 18th century the main artery of the city. It linked the western districts, close to St.Martin's Basilica, to the eastern sectors around Saint-Gatien Cathedral. This strategic positioning made it a major axis of medieval and reborn urban life, where houses, shops and craft activities were concentrated.

Architecturally, the building combines a masonry ground floor and two upper floors in wooden panels, topped by a top. The wrought iron balconies adorning the bays of the first floor, although typical of the eighteenth century, are posterior additions. It should also be noted that the on-street gable, once covered with slates in the 1940s, was later restored to its original appearance. This detail illustrates the evolution of the monument over the centuries.

The ground floor door still retains its vantail equipped with a râcloir, a rare element and bearing witness to period domestic uses. The upper floors, initially covered with slates, reflect the techniques of protecting wooden facades against weather. These features make this house a valuable example of the urban landscape of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

The 1946 classification covers only the south façade and roof, emphasizing the importance of these elements in the heritage value of the building. Although information about its historical occupants is lacking, this house embodies the everyday life of the wealthy classes of Tours in the 15th century, a period of prosperity for the city thanks to the river trade and the court of the kings of France installed nearby, in Amboise or Chinon.

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