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Origin and history

The Hotel des Ducs de Touraine, also known as Hotel de la Croix-Blanche, is a private hotel located in 15 Place de Châteauneuf, in the Old Towers. Built in the 15th century, it was originally ceded in 1323 by Charles IV to the canons of Saint-Martin. At the beginning of the 15th century, Jean de France, Duke of Touraine, made the building a ducal palace and administrative centre, including a court of justice. From 1501 it became the seat of the baili de Touraine, representing the royal court.

In 1683, the hotel was sold to Saint Martin's college, which kept it until the Revolution. In the 17th century, architectural changes were made, such as the expansion of the windows of the lower floors. At the beginning of the 20th century, the building was transformed into a hotel under the name of the White Cross. The building consists of two gable housing bodies framed by an octagonal Gothic tower with a staircase, while a round tower in corbellation gives access to the old guard room.

The facades on courtyards, marked by changes of the 17th and 18th centuries, have been listed as historical monuments since January 10, 1928. Inside, some rooms retain original elements, such as hooded stone chimneys, one of which is masked by an 18th-century woodwork. The main house body leans against a wall of enclosure dating from the 10th century, bearing witness to the former fortification of Châteauneuf, whose hotel also temporarily served as a town hall.

The hotel's architecture reflects its multifunctional evolution: ducal palace, court seat, then religious establishment before becoming a hostel. The octagonal tower, characteristic of the Gothic period, and the gables of the buildings on courtyard illustrate the superimposed styles over the centuries. Despite the transformations, the building remains a major testimony to the political and architectural history of the medieval and modern Touraine.

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