Major extension 1584–1588 (≈ 1586)
Addition of houses and galleries on two levels.
XVIe siècle (1ère moitié)
Initial construction
Initial construction XVIe siècle (1ère moitié) (≈ 1650)
Street gable house with shop.
XVIe siècle (guerres civiles)
Defensive tower
Defensive tower XVIe siècle (guerres civiles) (≈ 1650)
Built in the garden for protection.
1752–1763
Restoration and enlargement
Restoration and enlargement 1752–1763 (≈ 1758)
West Corps closed on ramparts.
31 mai 2013
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 31 mai 2013 (≈ 2013)
Protection of facades, galleries and towers.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The following parts of the hotel: the facades and roofs of the three houses; the galleries of the bodies of the house east, on street, and south, in the back of court, in full; the passage connecting, on the floor, the bodies of houses south and west; the staircase, inside the body of the house is; the square tower of the house body is, in total; the staircase tower, circular, of the southern house body, in full; the square defensive tower, in the garden, entirely; courses; the passage under the body of the south house; gardens; the street portal; fence walls (cf. BO 237 to 239 - 24, rue du Docteur-Fardeau, 241 - Ville Haute): registration by order of 31 May 2013
Key figures
Information non disponible - No names cited in the sources
Owners or architects not mentioned.
Origin and history
The Hôtel de Châtillon de Villemorand, also named Hôtel de Busson de l'Age, is an emblematic building of the Haute du Blanc city, in the Centre-Val de Loire. Originally built as a gable-on-street house in the first half of the 16th century, it had a shop on the ground floor and stood on a major road leading to the gate of Bélâbre, one of the five main entrances to the city. Its architecture reflects the social ascension of the local bourgeoisie, with successive adjustments marking its growing prestige.
Between 1584 and 1588, the hotel experienced a major extension: a body of perpendicular houses was added at the back of the courtyard, served by a spiral staircase in a round tower and an open two-storey gallery, supported by stone and wood pillars. A second gallery, plated on the courtyard façade, linked the two wings via a square tower, creating fluid traffic on the floor. The cubic capitals of the galleries, carved with clumsy motifs, and a defensive tower built at the back (witness of the civil wars that shook Le Blanc) complete this hybrid ensemble, both residential and protective.
In the 18th century, between 1752 and 1763, the hotel was restored and enlarged by the construction of a western building that closed the courtyard, built on the old city walls. This phase marked the completion of its current configuration. The preserved galleries and defensive elements of the garden tower are today the major assets of the monument, classified as Historical Monument in 2013. Its architectural evolution, from the 15th to the 18th century, perfectly illustrates the adaptations of bourgeois houses to the political and social contexts of the period.
The hotel is distinguished by its protected elements: facades, roofs, galleries, stairs, towers (square and defensive), courtyards, gardens, and gate to the street. These characteristics make it a rare testimony of the aristocratic urban habitat in Lower March, between Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Its current address, 24 rue du Droit-Fardeau, confirms its anchoring in the historical fabric of the city.
