Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Cardinal de Richelieu undertook to transform his native village into an ideal city, entrusting the plans to architect Jacques Lemercier. The geometric line, marked by ditches, a fortified enclosure and symmetrical streets, reflected the 17th century urban ambitions. The city became a laboratory of classical architecture, where each element – from monumental doors to aligned houses – responded to a rigorous harmony.

On 17 March 1636, the cardinal offered land on the Grande-Rue to Germain Rolland, a Parisian bourgeois, provided that he built a hotel there in the year according to Lemercier's plans. The act, formalized before notaries Charles Richer and Pierre Parque on 10 July 1636, marked the birth of this house. Although the façade and roof of the building were thoroughly redesigned in the 19th century, it was protected by a decree of inscription on 9 June 1932, which demonstrated its heritage importance.

The private hotel, now known as the House, illustrates the alliance between political power and architectural ambition. Its history is part of Richelieu's larger project: creating a city to its image, mixing aristocratic prestige and urban modernity. Subsequent transformations, especially in the 19th century, partially altered its original structure, but its alignment with the Grande-Rue still recalls Lemercier's original design.

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