Foundation of the new city 1631 (environ) (≈ 1631)
Transformation of the village by Richelieu and Lemercier.
9 juin 1932
Front protection
Front protection 9 juin 1932 (≈ 1932)
Registration for Historical Monuments.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facade and Roofing (Case C-14): Registration by Order of 9 June 1932
Key figures
Cardinal de Richelieu - Urban project sponsor
Initiator of the new town of Richelieu.
Jacques Lemercier - Chief Architect
Designer of city plans.
Origin and history
The house in Richelieu is part of the ambitious urban project launched by Cardinal Richelieu in the 17th century. The latter decided to transform his native village into a planned city, entrusting the plans to the architect Jacques Lemercier, known for his work on the castle. The geometric path, with its symmetrical streets, ditches and monumental gates, reflected the ideals of order and grandeur of the time. The houses, aligned and uniform, were to embody this classical and hierarchical vision of urban space.
The façade and roof of this house, located at 38 rue du Chantier, were protected by a registration order under the Historic Monuments on June 9, 1932. This classification reflects the heritage value of the building, representative of the civil architecture of the new town of Richelieu. Although the details of its original use or occupants are lacking, its integration into the urban fabric designed by Lemercier makes it a key element of local heritage.
The location of the house, today at 38 rue du Chantier (or 36 according to GPS sources), confirms its anchoring in the rigorous grid of the city. Richelieu, attached to the department of Indre-et-Loire and to the region Centre-Val de Loire, thus preserves the tangible traces of urban cardinaly. The current cartographic accuracy, considered poor (note 5/10), recalls the challenges of preserving and documenting historic buildings in small municipalities.
