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Origin and history

The Viart Hotel, located in Blois in the historical district of Puits-Châtel, is a mansion built in the early 16th century for the Viart family, an influential lineage under the reigns of Louis XII and François I. The building illustrates the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with a facade adorned with pilasters, darabesques and a portal once surmounted by a hermine, a symbol potentially linked to Anne of Brittany. Its architecture blends sober elegance and refined details, such as the dogive vault of the entrance corridor or the covered ceiling galleries.

The construction of the hotel began in 1524 under the impetus of Jacques I of Viart, lord of Candé-sur-Beuvron, reflecting the social prestige of his family. The building includes a stair tower and decorative elements inspired by the first Renaissance, such as vaulted capitals and geometrical motifs. The portal, today devoid of its original hermine (perhaps removed during the Revolution), retains a shell shield, heraldic attribute evoking the Viarts.

The Hotel Viart, a historic monument in 1929, remains a private property, preserving its authentic character despite minor changes in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its central location, between the streets above and the Commerce, makes it a privileged witness to the city planning of the Renaissance of the bliss. The sources also mention its erroneous local name of "Hocket Hotel", without proven historical basis.

The building is distinguished by its arched passage with liernes and thirdons, as well as its low arched galleries, typical of the civil architecture of the period. The partial revivals of the 19th century (such as the development of shops on the ground floor) did not alter his Renaissance identity. Today, it embodies both Blois' built heritage and the legacy of noble families linked to the Court of France.

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