Châtillon-sur-Indre : Hotel

The small town of Châtillon-sur-Indre, located northwest of the department of Indre, was the site of an important lordship which was placed under royal control in 1203. It was the seat of the Grand Bailly de Touraine, which became presidial in 1639, and was, in modern times, the most important legal city of Bas-Berry, exercising its authority on a large part of Haute-Touraine and Bas-Berry. The presence of royal administrations has contributed to its prosperity. At the end of the 16th century, hotels were built, testifying to a new wealth in the city. However, few documents specify the circumstances of their construction. The few decorative elements visible on the large skylights of the main building suggested a construction in the 1540s, but the importance of this property lies mainly in the two -level gallery which borders the courtyard to the south, erected during the last quarter of the 16th century. This gallery presents many similarities with the facade of the hotel known as Henri III, and both were probably built during the reign of Henri III, during a transition period to the classic style. It is possible that they were designed by the same architect, although a certain lack of finesse is apparent. In these two structures, the layout is symmetrical around a vertical axis, while entabilities, headbands and cornices also highlight horizontality. Decorative elements, including grotesque figures on entabilities and cornices, as well as decorations on the windows of rue Grande, could be sculpted by the same workshop. This same decorative vocabulary appears on the capitals, whether composite at the Hotel of Henri III or Ionic in the rue du Nord, with scrolls, oves separated by dards and leafy palms. Rue Grande, the first level of the old staircase, consisting of two bays twinned under a large banner forming a entablature, recalls the three twin arcades and the banner of the gallery of the Hôtel de la Rue du Nord. These two hotels illustrate how a client, probably local, understood and interpreted the classic style at the end of the 16th century. Like the Hotel of Henri III, this building on the rue du Nord represents an essential element of the architectural heritage of the city, testifying to an era prosperous in its history.