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Origin and history

The house at Richelieu, in Indre-et-Loire, is part of the ambitious urban project launched by Cardinal de Richelieu in the 17th century. The latter transformed his native village into an ideal city, drawn according to rigorous geometrical principles: symmetrical streets, ditches, ramparts and monumental gates. The architect Jacques Lemercier, already in charge of the castle, conceived the plans of this new city, where each element reflected the order and greatness desired by the cardinal.

This specific house was built around 1633 for Mathieu Garnier, state councillor and treasurer of the king, according to Lemercier's plans and under the direction of the entrepreneur Jean Barbet. It illustrates the emerging classical style, with remarkable interior elements such as 17th and 18th century chimneys. Recurred in 1656 to Prégent Poirier, clerk of the Duchy-Payrie of Richelieu, it underwent subsequent transformations, including the conversion of the commons into a dwelling in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The building preserves traces of its history through its 17th and 18th century carpentry and its chimneys, including a redesigned one. The facade and roof, protected since 1932, bear witness to the architectural heritage of Richelieu, model city of French classicism. Its regular plan and strict alignments make it a rare example of planned urban planning under the Old Regime.

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