Creation of the city of Richelieu 1631-1642 (approximatif) (≈ 1637)
Urban plan drawn by Jacques Lemercier.
9 juin 1932
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 9 juin 1932 (≈ 1932)
Front and roof protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facade and roof: inscription by decree of 9 June 1932
Key figures
Cardinal de Richelieu - Urban project sponsor
Turned his native village into a city.
Jacques Lemercier - Chief Architect
Designs the city plans.
Origin and history
The house of Richelieu is part of an ambitious urban project launched by Cardinal de Richelieu, which wanted to transform his native village into an ideal city. The plans were designed by architect Jacques Lemercier, known for his work at the Château de Richelieu, and applied according to a rigorous geometry: ditches, ramparts, monumental gates, and a network of symmetrical streets lined with aligned houses. This model reflected the principles of classical urban planning of the time, combining aesthetics and functionality.
The façade and roof of this house were protected by a decree of inscription under the title of Historical Monuments on 9 June 1932. This classification reflects the heritage value of the building, representative of 17th-century civil architecture in a town designed ex nihilo. The exact address, 18 place of the Religious, confirms its integration into the historic heart of Richelieu, today classified.
The Richelieu project illustrates the will of the great lords of the Great Century to mark their power through urban planning. The city, with its defensive elements and strict scheduling, was to embody both the grandeur of the sponsor and administrative modernity. Houses, like this one, participated in this visual harmony while sheltering a population linked to local activities, often oriented towards services or crafts in the service of the nobility.
