Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house, located at 28 rue Michel-de-l'Hôpital in Moulins (Allier), is an emblematic example of the bourgeois urban architecture of the late eighteenth century. Built according to a U-shaped plan around an interior garden, it combines elegance and functionality. Its double arcade porch gives access to the communes, while the main façade, typical of the Bourbon style, combines fitted stone frames and exposed brick walls, decorated with five balconies.

The interior reveals a wooden staircase of Louis XIII style in the west wing, leading to a living room decorated with a ceiling with caissons, a parquet of the Versailles type and a fireplace with weapons of the Marshal of Orvilliers, clothed with faience. These elements bear witness to the luxury and refinement of the time, reserved for a social elite. A stone engraved in the cellar attests to its construction in 1785.

Partially classified as historical monuments since 28 December 1984, the protection covers facades, roofs, staircases (forged iron and wooden ramp) and the living room on the first floor with its parquet and fireplace. This classification underlines its heritage importance as a witness to the architectural and social history of Moulins and Bourbonnais.

The house is part of an urban context marked by the development of bourgeois residences in the 18th century, reflecting the economic prosperity of Moulins, then a dynamic city thanks to its administrative and commercial role. These houses served both as a place of life and as a representation for a rising bourgeoisie, often linked to the judicial, military or commercial activities of the region.

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