Regency of Anne of Austria 1643–1651 (≈ 1647)
When Louis Escuyer was his secretary.
1648
Having mentioned the site
Having mentioned the site 1648 (≈ 1648)
Declaration of stone houses.
XVe–XVIe siècle
Estimated construction
Estimated construction XVe–XVIe siècle (≈ 1650)
Period suggested by stylistic markers.
22 mars 1930
Registration Historic Monument
Registration Historic Monument 22 mars 1930 (≈ 1930)
Front and roof protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facade and roof: inscription by decree of 22 March 1930
Key figures
Louis Escuyer - Lord of the Papotière
Secretary of Anne of Austria, local baili.
Anne d'Autriche - Queen Mother and Regent
Link via Louis Escuyer, his secretary.
Origin and history
The Maison de la Papotière is located in Nogent-le-Rotrou, along the Rue du Bourg-le-Comte, a historic axis linking the priory-dean of Saint-Denis to the Château Saint-Jean. The building, composed of three L-shaped buildings around a courtyard, features a limestone-cut stone street façade, while the other elevations combine stone and wood on the first floor. The openings, richly decorated with mouldings with cellars, rules and sculpted caps of animals and foliage, as well as the triangular pediment lucarn surmounted by a decorated gable, bear witness to remarkable craftsmanship. The roof, covered with flat tiles, and ornamental bows reinforce its distinctive architectural character.
The name "house of the Papotière" would come from Louis Escuyer, seigneur of the place, secretary of Queen Mother Anne of Austria (reg. 1643-1651) and baili de Souancé and Montdoucet. An admission of 1648 mentions stone houses at this site, one of which may correspond to the current building at 3 rue Bourg-le-Comte. Stylistic markers, such as the cross-sections, the handle-panel door and the decorative repertoire, suggest a construction dating back to the second half of the 15th or first half of the 16th century. Graphical documents from the 19th and 20th centuries illustrate the later modifications of the facade.
Classified as a Historic Monument since 1930 for its facade and roof, this house embodies the architectural heritage of the Perche. Its location, between Bourg-le-Comte Street and the Hotel de Carpentin, highlights its integration into the medieval and reborn urban fabric of Nogent-le-Rotrou. The protected elements, such as the missing splints but evoked by the ground lintels, or the pinnacles decorated with foliage, reveal an aesthetic and symbolic will peculiar to the local elite of the time.
The accuracy of its location remains poor (level 5/10), with an approximate address between 1 and 3 rue Bourg-le-Comte. Despite this, its heritage interest lies in the combination of constructive techniques (equiped stone, bellows, woodpan) and in its carved decoration, reflecting both late Gothic and renaissant influences. Available sources, including Monumentum, confirm its status as a key element of percheron civil heritage.
