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Origin and history

The house of Richelieu, dated from the 17th century, is part of an urban complex planned by Cardinal Richelieu. The latter transformed his native village into an ideal city, entrusting the plans to the architect Jacques Lemercier, known for his works at the Palace of Versailles. The regular route, with its ditches, ramparts and symmetrical streets, reflects a desire of order and magnitude, characteristic of the political and cultural ambitions of the time.

The city of Richelieu, classified as a historical monument, illustrates the cardinal's influence on French urban planning. The houses, aligned in a strict geometrical plane, were designed to harmonize public and private space. This house, whose facade and roof have been protected since 1932 and 1992, bears witness to this architectural rigour. Its inscription in the title of Historic Monuments underlines its role in the built heritage of the region Centre-Val de Loire.

Richelieu's urban project inspired Italian Renaissance models, adapted to the needs of a rising nobility and bourgeoisie. The monumental doors, marketplaces (such as the Market Square where this house is located), and facade alignments were designed to create an image of power and modernity. Today, these elements offer a rare glimpse of a city entirely designed ex nihilo in the seventeenth century, preserved despite centuries.

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