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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hotel Le Mercier, also named Hotel Lemercier, is a private hotel built in the 4th quarter of the 18th century, during the reign of Louis XVI. Located at 22 boulevard Duchesne-Fournet in Lisieux (Calvados, Normandy), it was erected by François Le Mercier, seigneur of Mesnil-Guillaume and member of an influential family of the city, Les Bas, close to the local elites of the Siècle des Lumières. Its neoclassical architecture, made of limestone with an almost flat roof, reflects the aristocratic taste of the era.

The building is distinguished by its two-storey facade, where the central span is surmounted by a pediment decorated with a trophy. Although some erroneous sources evoke an origin in the seventeenth century, the archives and the decree of inscription in historical monuments (26 December 1990) confirm its late construction in the eighteenth century. Only facades and roofs are protected, according to the AX 114 cadastre.

Today, property of the municipality of Lisieux, the hotel Le Mercier bears witness to the civil architectural heritage of Normandy. Its inscription among historical monuments underlines its importance in the urban history of Lisieux, marked by the influence of bourgeois and seigneurial families. Available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight its neoclassical style and its connection to the local elite, without specifying its current use (visits, rentals, etc.).

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