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Origin and history

This house, located in Richelieu, dates from the first half of the seventeenth century and underwent modifications in the eighteenth century. It illustrates the planned urban planning of the city, designed by Cardinal de Richelieu and his architect Jacques Lemercier. The building, built in 1633 for Mace Bertrand, treasurer of savings, preserves original elements such as 17th century skylights, carpentry and chimneys, as well as 18th and 19th century alcove rooms. The stables, extended by a wing in return of square, were enhanced and built in the 18th century.

The original staircase, adjacent to the porch, partially disappeared, remaining only the flight leading to the cellar. A wooden staircase, added between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, now serves the first floor. The 17th century doors and panel shutters testify to the initial organization of interior spaces. The house, whose facades and roofs have been protected since 1932 and 2002, reflects the architectural harmony Richelieu wanted for his hometown, combining classical rigour and subsequent adaptations.

The cardinal of Richelieu, minister of Louis XIII, transformed his native village into an ideal city, with a geometrical plan with ditches, ramparts and symmetrical streets. This house, commissioned by architect Jacques Lemercier and built by entrepreneur Jean Barbet, is part of this ambitious project. Its later developments, such as the countervents and the bays of the stables, show an evolution of uses while preserving the original character of the place. Today, private property, it embodies the heritage linked to the urban and political history of France in the Great Century.

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