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Origin and history

The Vignolles hotel, built in 1549 by Jean de Vignolles, is a private hotel located in Saint-Pierre Square, Old Mans. Its local Gothic architecture, marked by pronounced verticality, reflects a transition between 15th century traditions and Parisian influences. Although incomplete, the building is distinguished by its U-shaped plan, its two courtyards and asymmetric pavilions, designed to impress. Its horizontal spread, rare for the period, contrasts with the atsard hotels of the neighborhood.

The land once belonged to the Counts of Maine, integrating the Comtal Palace before being ceded to individuals in the 15th century, for lack of means for its maintenance. Jean de Vignolles, the king's adviser and lieutenant of the senate floor of Maine, acquired the site in 1548 to erect a residence combining prestige and functionality. The materials (tuffeau, oak, slate of Anjou) reveal a measured luxury, while the layout of the rooms – including 11 upstairs bedrooms – suggests both residential and representative use.

The construction, financed by Vignolles' revenues, uses local techniques (meltons, lime coating) while integrating luxurious elements such as Lardoise. The blazoned portal and the two courtyards, one closed by a wall-screen, highlight the owner's wealth. However, subsequent changes (division in 1799, destruction of the neighbouring chapel in 1793) altered its original unit. Ranked a historic monument in 1946, the hotel remains a testament to the architectural ambition of the Renaissance in Le Mans.

The Hotel de Vignolles also embodies the religious tensions of the time: in 1562, Jean de Vignolles and his wife, condemned to exile for their Protestantism, saw their home marked by a cross bearing their sentence. The building, designed to symbolically dominate Saumur Protestantism, illustrates rivalries among local elites. Today, since 1926, it has been continuously restored to preserve its heritage.

Its architecture, halfway between the Parisian and Ligerian models, prefigures the classic 17th century hotels. The western courtyard, initially secondary, becomes the main entrance after the abandonment of the east court, provided as aircraft space. The projected galleries and arcades, partially realized, were to reinforce the monumental effect. Despite its imperfections, the hotel remains a rare example of adapting aristocratic codes to a provincial urban context.

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