Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The mansion located at 28 rue Hoche in Chinon, Indre-et-Loire, is a building whose construction begins at the end of the 15th century, but most of which dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. Its facades, characteristic of urban hotels of the Renaissance, incorporate defensive elements such as a corbelled scallop at the southeast corner, as well as a square tower to the east. The building consists of several houses connected by stair turrets, reflecting successive building campaigns.

The western part of the hotel is added in the 17th century, while the eastern facade seems to have undergone some alterations in the 19th century. The interior and exterior decorations bear witness to stylistic transitions: the body of houses overlooking rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau preserves a décor of the late 15th century, while that of rue Hoche bears motifs of the first Renaissance. An 18th-century wrought iron grid also adorns one of the balconies.

Ranked a historic monument by order of 27 October 1967, the hotel specifically protects its eastern and southern facades, as well as the corresponding roofs. These roofs, covered with slate, complement a stone structure typical of local architecture. The building is located in the canonial district of Chinon, close to the former Saint-Mexme Abbey, highlighting its anchoring in the city's urban and religious history.

The hotel illustrates the evolution of private hotels in Touraine, from residential and defensive functions to Renaissance aesthetic concerns. Its complex plan, with successive additions, reveals the architectural adaptations associated with changes in owners or uses over the centuries. The elements protected in 1967 highlight its heritage importance in the historic centre of Chinon.

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