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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of Richelieu, built in the 17th century, is part of the ambitious urban project of Cardinal Richelieu, who wanted to transform his native village into an ideal city. The architect Jacques Lemercier, also in charge of the castle, drew a rigorous geometrical plan, including ditches, ramparts, monumental gates and symmetrical streets lined with aligned houses. This pavilion, located in Place du Marché, illustrates this architectural harmony with its three spans and its central porch.

The private hotel, built around 1632, was initially ordered for a certain Le Conte, before being sold from 1633 to Le Masle for the sum of 8,000 pounds. Its construction could be attributed to the entrepreneur Jean Thiriot, under the direction of Lemercier. The facades and roofs, protected from 1932 and 1992, testify to the heritage importance of this ensemble, reflecting the cardinal's power and ambition.

Richelieu, a new city for the time, embodies the urban utopia of the late Renaissance, mixing military functionality (fossed, pregnant) and classical aesthetics. Houses, like this pavilion, were designed for a local bourgeoisie or nobility, in a strict setting where uniformity served the glory of the founder. Today, the building maintains a central location, although its geographical accuracy is considered poor (level 5/10).

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