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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hotel des Moneyroux is an emblematic monument of Guéret, in Creuse, built mainly in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. This flamboyant Gothic building, often mistakenly called "Château des Counts de la Marche", has never housed Counts. It was erected by Antoine Allard, lord of Moneyroux and treasurer of Marche County, from 1447. Today, it serves as a seat on the Creuse departmental council and is visiting at Heritage Days.

The hotel was built over several centuries. In the 15th century, a hexagonal turret was added to the north corner, while a new building body enlarged the whole. Between 1510 and 1522, a forebody with staircase was built on the south-east facade. In the seventeenth century, the hotel was further enlarged south and west, incorporating additional rooms. Inside, a 15th to 16th century fireplace and landscape paintings from the first floor testify to its rich past.

Ranked as a historic monument between 1926 and 1941, the Hotel des Moneyroux retains remarkable elements: facades, roofs, chapel of the Penitents, rooms and fireplaces of the old dungeon, as well as a square staircase of the west wing. Owned by the department, it combines architectural heritage and administrative function, while remaining accessible to the public at cultural events.

Historical sources, such as the works of Adrien Montigny or Arthur de Marsy, underline its importance in local history. The hotel illustrates the evolution of the urban residences of the regional elites, mixing medieval defenses and Renaissance embellishments. Its inscription in the Mérimée base and its precise location (place Louis-Lacrocq) make it a major cultural landmark of the Creuse.

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