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Origin and history

The house in Richelieu is part of the ambitious urban project launched by Cardinal de Richelieu, which wanted to transform his native village into an ideal city. The plans were entrusted to architect Jacques Lemercier, known for his work on the Château de Richelieu. The city was designed according to a rigorous geometrical pattern, with ditches, a fortified enclosure, monumental gates and aligned streets, reflecting the urban principles of the classical era. This house, built around 1633, follows these principles of harmony and symmetry.

The mansion was built for Étienne Jappin, Sieur des Marches and Treasurer General of Artillery, by the entrepreneur Jean Barbet, according to the plans of Jacques Lemercier. The courtyard is closed by two pavilions decorated with busts of Roman emperors, and the cornice is homogeneous with that of the inner wings. Although the house underwent extensive restorations around 1978, its façade and roof were protected as early as 1932 by an order to register with the Historical Monuments. This building thus bears witness to the architectural and political ambition of Cardinal de Richelieu, which aimed to create a model city.

Richelieu, in Indre-et-Loire, embodies a rare example of a 17th century new town, conceived ex nihilo according to rational principles. The orthogonal plan, the strict alignments of the houses and the defensive elements (fossed, wall of enclosure) illustrate a desire for control and order, characteristic of the emerging absolutism. The house of Stephen Jappin, with its classic decorations and its integration into this urban network, reflects both the prestige of its sponsor and Lemercier's lasting influence in the region.

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