Maison du 16e siècle, dite de Justice des Bains, et le portail contigu
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison du 16e siècle, dite de Justice des Bains, et le portail contigu, located in Tours (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
- Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.3960, 0.6956
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098240
In the heart of the old town of Tours, this 16th-century Renaissance residence boasts a sculpted portal of rare elegance, a vestige of the architectural effervescence that made the Loire the stage for the royal arts.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the historic fabric of Tours, the Maison de Justice des Bains is one of those discreet jewels that dot the old town and bear witness to the exceptional influence of the city of Tours in the 16th century. At a time when the Loire Valley was the cradle of the French Renaissance, the great families of Tours competed in architectural elegance, calling on the best craftsmen to adorn their homes with sculpted portals, pedimented dormers and finely chiselled pilasters. This house is fully in keeping with this tradition. Its name, "Justice des Bains", evokes a judicial or administrative function linked to the spa and bathing activities that characterised this district during the Renaissance, a period when urban buildings were often used for both residential and institutional purposes. The adjoining portal, listed at the same time as the residence, is the most remarkable feature of the ensemble: its architectural composition, typical of early Renaissance art in Touraine, combines Gothic reminiscences with antique ornamentation recently imported from Italy. To visit this house is to plunge into the intimacy of a town that was, before Paris, the unofficial capital of the kingdom of France. The surrounding streets - cobbled, half-timbered and lined with town houses - form an almost untouched setting, ideal for a slow stroll and a trip back in time. The ensemble can be appreciated both from the outside, for the quality of its façade and portal, and in its urban context, where it interacts with other residences from the same period. Its protection as a Historic Monument, granted as early as 1927, testifies to the heritage value that the French government recognised very early on. For lovers of Renaissance civil architecture, this Touraine address is a must-see, and should be combined with a visit to the Plumereau district and the other listed town houses in the historic centre.
Architecture
The Maison de Justice des Bains belongs to the Touraine Renaissance style of civil architecture, characterised by a subtle dialogue between medieval heritage and Italianate influences. The facade, built in tuffeau - the soft white limestone so characteristic of the Loire Valley - features elements typical of the early 16th century: bays punctuated by pilasters that do not protrude very far, mullioned windows framed by mouldings in the form of accolades or straight lintels, and the careful treatment of the frames, revealing the hand of experienced stonemasons. The adjoining portal is the centrepiece of the ensemble. Comprising two jambs crowned by a semi-circular or slightly pointed arch, it is decorated with foliage capitals, foliate friezes and geometric motifs that bear witness to the early assimilation of ancient vocabulary by the craftsmen of the Loire Valley. This type of portal, which can be found in a number of residences in Vieux-Tours and neighbouring towns such as Loches and Amboise, is a signature of the regional workshop trained on the royal building sites. The ensemble, modest in size - typical of a notable urban dwelling rather than a grand manor house - owes its interest less to its scale than to the quality of its ornamentation and state of preservation. The materials used - tufa on the facade and probably slate on the roof - are typical of all Touraine architecture of the period, forming a highly coherent palette of colours with the grey-blue sky of the Loire.
Related Figures
Prosper Mérimée — inspecteur des Monuments Historiques, initiateur de la politique de protection du patrimoine civil françaisFrançois Ier — roi de France dont la cour itinérante animait la Touraine et stimulait la construction de demeures RenaissanceLouis XI — roi ayant fait de Tours une quasi-capitale, favorisant l'essor économique et architectural de la villeJean Fouquet — peintre tourangeau du XVe siècle, figure emblématique du renouveau artistique en TouraineBalzac (Honoré de) — enfant du pays, chroniqueur de la société tourangelle et de ses demeures historiques dans La Comédie humaine
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison du 16e siècle, dite de Justice des Bains, et le portail contigu located?
Maison du 16e siècle, dite de Justice des Bains, et le portail contigu is located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Maison du 16e siècle, dite de Justice des Bains, et le portail contigu built?
Maison du 16e siècle, dite de Justice des Bains, et le portail contigu dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison du 16e siècle, dite de Justice des Bains, et le portail contigu open to visitors?
Maison du 16e siècle, dite de Justice des Bains, et le portail contigu is currently closed to visitors.