Eternally ambitious and a tireless worker, Cardinal Richelieu did not simply build a palace to his glory. He undertakes thedevelopment of a complete and entire city that bears his nameIn Indre-et-Loire, the town of Richelieu possesses an absolutely unique heritage. example of urban planning in France during the Grand SiècleA project initiated by Louis XIII's chief minister, this ideal city, created on the model of ancient cities, is a a technical feat as much as an illustration of the power and taste of its creator.
The city of Richelieu, built in the heart of Protestant France, appears as a tool for reconquest in the 17th centuryThe architect Jacques Lemercier designed a An orderly, almost rigid city, leaving no room for improvisation.The Main Street, punctuated by fourteen private mansions out of the twenty-eight in the town, is of rare elegance and perfect symmetry. Three monumental gates allow access to the perfectly straight streets of this rectangle measuring 620 meters by 390 meters, the edges of which are framed by ramparts bordered by moats. In order to bring life and life to this city, Richelieu also wished to integrate... places that still exist today. The Place Royale, now Place des Religieuses, served as a setting for the Academy and the convent, while the Place Cardinal, now Place du Marché, housed the church, the market halls and the courthouse which became the town hall.
The municipality of Richelieu has set itself the challenge of to promote this exceptional legacy left by one of the greatest statesmen that France has ever known. To this end, several projects have been conceived and implemented, such as the conversion of the private mansion located at 28 Grande Rue into a space dedicated to Cardinal Richelieu, his life, his work, and the creation of his city. In three successive rooms, visitors are immersed in the heart of the 17th century to discover the facets of this famous yet little-known figure, his motivations, his darker sides, his mysteries, and his secrets.
The Richelieu Museum also aims to showcase, in a fourth room, the way in which "new towns" were born in the last centurybut also to grasp the question of the ideal city from Antiquity to the present day. The visit thus offers an unusual and unique immersion into the history of urban planning, in the Cardinal's perfect city. Although his castle has now disappeared, its presence remains omnipresent in the city. A 3D reproduction allows visitors to imagine the incredible palace that was built for the minister. A great patron of the arts, Richelieu adorned his castle with the finest works of art in the kingdom and even beyond. The Grand Gallery on the first floor, decorated with twenty battles of Louis XIII and his servantThis constituted a testament to his political success. For Richelieu, both a man of the Church and a man of statesman, powerful and envied, left a mark firmly rooted in the collective imagination and in the history of France.
- Continue your exploration of the Loire Valley with the circuit Around Chinon which includes the Richelieu Museum.
