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Origin and history

The Hotel de la Vicomté, located in Melun, is a Renaissance monument built in the 16th century. Isaac Pinot ordered it to be built in 1538, as evidenced by the dormant windows bearing this date, the only preserved remains of this period. The hotel, originally composed of a house and two pavilions, was acquired at the end of the 16th century by Jacques La Grange Le Roy, governor of Melun, who added a brick and stone building as well as a monumental gate, now missing.

In the 17th century, the hotel became the seat of the Viscount of Melun after its acquisition by Nicolas Fouquet in 1654. Although the sources are lacking in detail, the house body is probably rebuilt towards the end of this century, however preserving the Renaissance skylights. In the 19th century, successive demolitions (1852 and 1869) transformed the building, while the skylights were restored in 1877. Property of the city since 1959, the hotel has been home to the municipal museum since 1966, after work by architect Kindermans.

The two 16th-century windows, classified as Historic Monument in 1927, are the only protected elements of this profoundly redesigned building. Their restoration in the 19th century and successive transformations reflect the architectural and functional evolution of the building, from private residence to cultural institution. Today, the Hotel de la Vicomté embodies both a fragmentary Renaissance heritage and a modern adaptation to public uses.

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