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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hôtel des Ducs de Bouillon is a three-storey rectangular building, built mainly in the 15th century with major renovations in the 17th century. Its façade is made of sandesite stone and features a door in the middle of the arches, framed by two secondary doors with low arches. On the first floor, three ground windows, two of which are géminées, are surmounted by capitals. A round turret in corbellation, decorated with an angelel head, crown the northeast corner. The pavilion roof and the dome of the turret complete its distinctive appearance.

The building belonged to the family of The Tower of Auvergne, Dukes of Bouillon, until 1684. Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, stayed there in 1641. In the 17th century, the façade was refurnished, with the removal of corbellations, the repair of openings and the addition of skylights. After several internal transformations, the hotel was ceded to the city in 1991. It has been partially listed as a historical monument since 1951 and now houses a media library.

The vaulted cellars in cradle and ridges, as well as the former stables and put back to the south, testify to its residential and seigneurial use. The south terrace and the gazebo overlooking the stairwell reflect its adaptation to the aristocratic needs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The materials, such as lindesite for frames and dome, underline its architectural prestige in the Puy-de-Dôme.

The hotel illustrates the evolution of seigneurial residences in Auvergne, moving from a medieval defensive structure to a typical residence. Its inscription to historical monuments protects its façade on the Grande Rue and its roof, emblematic elements of its heritage. Today, its cultural vocation (media library) continues to be rooted in local life.

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