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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Hotel Saint-Aignan is a flamboyant Gothic mansion built around 1472 in Nantes, in the dynamic context of the Breton capital during the reign of Duke Francis II. Its tuffeau construction, limestone from Saumur, reflects the architectural exchanges between Anjou and Brittany. The building is part of a period of large urban construction sites, marked notably by the elevation of the Cathedral of Nantes, which began in 1434.

Originally, the hotel was erected by the seigneurs de la Guerche (Saint-Brevin), the family Tournemine, before becoming the property of the Goheau de Saint-Aignan, who gave it its name. In 1819, the place was given to the Sisters of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, who added in 1840 a wing closing the court of honour, in a neo-medieval style. This transformation is part of a desire for modernization while maintaining a historical aesthetic.

Ranked a historic monument in 1926, the Saint-Aignan Hotel today embodies a preserved heritage, although its vocation has evolved. Since the 20th century, it has been home to a children's care facility, run in collaboration with ASE. Its inscription in the title of historical monuments underscores its architectural importance and its anchoring in the history of Nantes, from the ducal period to its contemporary uses.

The location of the hotel, 8 rue Saint-Jean (formerly rue de Strasbourg), places the monument in the heart of the medieval Nantes, close to other major buildings. Its flamboyant Gothic style, characterized by carved decorations and stencil windows, makes it a rare testimony to the aristocratic Breton habitat of the late Middle Ages. The materials used, such as tuffeau, also underline the commercial networks of the period between the Loire and Brittany.

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