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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house in Richelieu, built in the seventeenth century, is part of the ambitious urban project of Cardinal Richelieu. The latter transformed his native village into a new city, designed according to a rigorous geometrical plan, with symmetrical streets, ditches and monumental gates. The architect Jacques Lemercier, also responsible for the castle, drew up the plans, while the contractor Jean Barbet supervised the works. The city thus became a classic urban model in France, reflecting the power and influence of its founder.

The house in question, built in 1633, was initially commissioned by Nicolas Le Camus, the king's adviser and attorney general of the aid court. Designed by Jacques Lemercier and built by Jean Barbet, it undergoes subsequent transformations, including the addition of intersoils and the development of commons in dwellings. Although remodeled, its facade and roof on the street were protected as early as 1932, while the facades on the courtyard of the main house and wing in return for square were inscribed in 1992. These protections demonstrate its heritage importance.

Richelieu, with its regular plan and its aligned houses, embodies the 17th century urban ideal, combining classic aesthetics and functionality. The city, surrounded by walls and with a harmonious spatial organization, reflects the cardinal's political and cultural ambitions. Today, this house, like other buildings in the city, recalls the architectural and historical heritage of this lavish period, marked by the influence of great lords and visionary architects.

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