"Maison dite aussi ancienne salle de justice et hôtel de ville ou "du Perron" ou "le Parloir aux Bourgeois" ou "des Trois Rois""
MonumentHidden Treasure
Au cœur de Chartres, ce joyau médiéval du XIIIe siècle révèle un pignon west orné de baies géminées sculptées et un décor peint exceptionnel représentant deux cavaliers en joute — un témoignage rarissime de la vie civile gothique.
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History
Nestling in the historic fabric of Chartres, the house known as "du Perron" or "Parloir aux Bourgeois" is one of the best-preserved medieval civil residences in the Eure-et-Loir region. Built around 1270-1272, according to the remarkable accuracy of dendrochronological analysis of its timbers, it stands out as a living architectural document of the organisation of urban and judicial life at the end of the 13th century. What makes the monument truly unique is the superposition of its historical functions: courtroom, town hall, burghers' parlour... So many successive functions that have left their mark on the stone and wood. As soon as you enter, the attentive visitor will notice the two-leaf porch, the inner arch of which contains two small sculpted heads, discreet evidence of a surprisingly delicate medieval ornamental skill. The west gable, preserved in its original state, is in itself a lesson in Gothic sculpture: three geminated bays are repeated on each level, decorated with a fanciful bestiary and floral motifs in which the inventiveness of the stonemasons of the Capetian era is freely expressed. But it is perhaps the east gable that holds the biggest surprise: a painted decoration of rare integrity, depicting two horsemen in jousting gear beneath a blazoned band, framed by a frieze of quatrefoils. A surprisingly fresh secular and aristocratic image. The experience of visiting the house is that of an intimate plunge into Chartra's medieval daily life, far from the crowds that flock to the nearby cathedral. The house, with its four storeys and trapezoidal silhouette, interacts with the old urban fabric in a quiet, authentic atmosphere. Every detail - stone corbels, oaks, sculpted arches - invites you to slow your pace and read the building as you would an illuminated manuscript.
Architecture
The Maison du Perron is a four-storey, trapezoidal mansion typical of the great Gothic civil residences of the 13th century. The main entrance is through a double porch, the interior arch of which is adorned with two small sculpted heads - a decorative motif typical of the Chartres Gothic repertoire, reminiscent of the brackets and lantern capitals of the neighbouring cathedral. The eaves walls retain a row of carved stone corbels that supported, and still support, the roof trusses, a sign of coherent, well-preserved massing. The west gable is the architectural jewel of the building: preserved in its original composition, it features three geminated bays separated by colonnettes on each level, enriched by a sculptural programme combining fantastic creatures, real animals and floral interlacing. This ornamental vocabulary, characteristic of the Radiant Gothic style of the second half of the 13th century, links the house to the great building projects of contemporary Île-de-France. The east gable holds a surprise of a different kind: an exceptional painted decoration depicting two horsemen in jousting attire, inscribed beneath a band of shields and resting on a frieze of quatrefoils. The medieval polychromy, which is extremely rare on civil facades, gives this ensemble exceptional documentary and aesthetic value, evoking both contemporary illuminations and the mural paintings of the great aristocratic residences.
Related Figures
Saint Louis (Louis IX) — règne sous lequel l'édifice est construit, vers 1270-1272Maîtres-charpentiers chartrains du XIIIe siècle — dont les bois abattus entre 1270 et 1272 ont été identifiés par dendrochronologieTailleurs de pierre de l'atelier chartrais — auteurs du programme sculpté des baies géminées et des têtes du porcheBourgeois de Chartres du XIIIe-XIVe siècle — utilisateurs du Parloir aux Bourgeois et acteurs de la vie municipaleAdministrateurs municipaux du XVIIe siècle — commanditaires du percement du portail donnant sur l'arsenalLéon Palustre ou inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques de la IIIe République — promoteurs du classement de 1912
