Construction of city and house XVIIe siècle (≈ 1750)
Creation ex nihilo by Richelieu and Lemercier.
29 janvier 1992
Historic Monument Protection
Historic Monument Protection 29 janvier 1992 (≈ 1992)
Registration of the façade and roof.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Façade on the Place du Marché et Roof (Case C 1130, 201): entry by order of 29 January 1992
Key figures
Cardinal de Richelieu - Urban project sponsor
Founded the city and defied its plan.
Jacques Lemercier - Urbanist architect
Designs city plans and buildings.
Origin and history
The house of Richelieu, dating from the 17th century, is part of an ambitious urban project initiated by Cardinal Richelieu. The latter transformed his native village into an ideal city, whose plans were designed by architect Jacques Lemercier, also responsible for the castle. The regular route of the city, with its ditches, ramparts, monumental gates and symmetrical streets, reflects the principles of classical urban planning of the time. The houses, aligned according to a geometric plane, illustrate this will of order and architectural harmony.
The façade of this house, located on the Place du Marché, as well as its roof, were protected by a registration order under the Historical Monuments in 1992. This classification reflects the heritage value of the building, representative of the 17th century civil architectural style in a town designed ex nihilo. Richelieu, with its orthogonal plane and defensive elements, embodies urban utopia of an era marked by absolutism and desire for spatial control.
Richelieu's project is part of a broader approach to the staging of power through architecture. The city, although of modest size, was intended to symbolize the grandeur of its founder, while serving as a model for other urban achievements in France. Today, this house, like the entire old building, recalls the legacy of this unique urban experience, combining functionality and classic aesthetics.
