Ancien hôtel des Monnaies
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancien hôtel des Monnaies, located in Chinon (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Chinon, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.1669, 0.2387
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097672
The flamboyant Gothic jewel of Chinon, this 15th-century former mint boasts a polygonal tower with a stone spiral and medieval cellars dating from the 12th century, evidence of a royal town at the time of Charles VII.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
In the heart of Chinon, a town steeped in the memory of Joan of Arc and Charles VII, stands a discreet building with an unsuspected wealth of history: the former Hôtel des Monnaies. Built in the 15th century at the height of the reign of the King of Bourges, this civil building bears witness to the strategic economic role played by Chinon in late medieval France, a city of refuge for the Capetian court from English occupation. The singularity of the building lies in the superimposition of its temporal strata. Beneath the carefully dressed 15th-century stonework lie vaulted cellars from the 12th and 13th centuries, the remains of a much earlier occupation of the site. This continuity of use over more than three centuries makes the Hôtel des Monnaies a veritable architectural palimpsest, where each era has left its mark without erasing the previous one. The inner courtyard, organised around two perpendicular buildings, is a soberly elegant sight. The centrepiece of the complex is the polygonal tower in the re-entrant corner, housing a stone spiral staircase whose door is surmounted by a remarkably fine bracketed bracery and finials, the undisputed signature of the flamboyant Gothic style. A visit to the former Mint is like plunging behind the scenes of the medieval royal economy, far removed from the splendour of the more famous châteaux of the Loire Valley. The building, listed as a Historic Monument since 1967, is part of that second-rate heritage cherished by connoisseurs for its preserved authenticity and intimate atmosphere, away from the tourist crowds. Chinon itself is an ideal setting for this discovery: its medieval streets, its Plantagenet castle overlooking the Vienne and its troglodyte cellars make the town one of Touraine's most coherent heritage destinations.
Architecture
The former Hôtel des Monnaies was built in the flamboyant Gothic style typical of the second half of the 15th century in the Loire Valley. The building comprises two perpendicular main buildings, forming an angle around a small inner courtyard in a square plan, a common layout in medieval urban civil architecture, which optimises space while creating a private area protected from outside view. The most remarkable architectural feature is undoubtedly the polygonal tower set into the re-entrant corner of the two main buildings. This projection, typical of late-Gothic residential architecture, houses a stone spiral staircase serving the upper floors. The doorway leading to this staircase is crowned with a brace - a pointed arch in the shape of a tilde - embellished with carved hooks and fleurons, a typically flamboyant decoration that attests to the care taken to embellish the building despite its primarily utilitarian function. The hooks, stylised foliage hanging from the braces, and the finials bear witness to the mastery of Touraine stonemasons of the period. The building is made of ashlar, probably tuffeau, the soft, light-coloured limestone so characteristic of the Loire Valley, which is easy to carve and gives the façades that distinctive golden glow. The 12th- and 13th-century cellars that support the building bear precious witness to early Romanesque and Gothic construction techniques, with their barrel and cross vaults typical of the period.
Related Figures
Charles VII, roi de France (1422-1461), sous le règne duquel fut établi l'atelier monétaire de ChinonJeanne d'Arc, qui rencontra Charles VII au château de Chinon en 1429, dans une ville où l'hôtel des Monnaies était en pleine activitéLes maîtres tailleurs de pierre tourangeaux du XVe siècle, artisans anonymes de la tour polygonale et de ses sculptures flamboyantesLes maîtres de la Monnaie royale de Chinon, officiers royaux chargés de superviser la frappe des pièces sous l'autorité de Charles VIILes architectes des Monuments Historiques qui assurèrent la protection et la sauvegarde de l'édifice au XXe siècle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancien hôtel des Monnaies located?
Ancien hôtel des Monnaies is located in Chinon, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Ancien hôtel des Monnaies built?
Ancien hôtel des Monnaies dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancien hôtel des Monnaies open to visitors?
Ancien hôtel des Monnaies is currently closed to visitors.