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Origin and history

Beaugency Prison, built between the 14th and 15th centuries, is a monument whose present appearance is the result of radical transformations. Only the facade on the street, very restored, preserves ancient elements: the sills and cross-sections, refected in the modern era, and ground bays of typical 15th century chamfers. A drawing by Abel Adam (1891) attests to the changes suffered by the openings, especially on the floor, where a cross without reamping and a bay with original support (late 15th–early 16th century) are still visible.

The façade opening onto the courtyard (spark 1914) reveals traces of the 15th century enlargements, with enlarged bays in hard stone, combining gables and cribs. Archives mention works in 1523: Macé Tardif, lieutenant-general of the baili de Beaugency, commissioned improvements from artisans (Guillaume Ribérieu, Denis Meslon, Pierre Musnier), including a window overlooking the ancient Roman ditches of the city. These ditches, connected to the first Romanesque enclosure (which remains the door of the Clock), bordered the prison, where a room of the question is attested.

The 1523 act also specifies the provision of three stone blocks for the countercloison of this room, suggesting a space dedicated to interrogations. No cellar is now identifiable on the site, although the text evokes a window of ditches, perhaps filled later. The façade, backed by the Clock Gate, illustrates the links between the urban enclosure and the judicial history of Beaugency.

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1933 for its facade (Cadastre F4 1168), the prison is now communal property. Its present state, marked by restorations and later additions, limits the legibility of its medieval phases, but the ground frames and written archives still testify to this. The approximate location (32–34 Rue du Change) and the absence of underground remains underline the shortcomings of its conservation.

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