Date

Circa 1910

The west façade dominated on the north by the tower-donjon and its hexagonal upper storey, resembles a feudal castle. The 'grand maison' built in his native city from 1443 to 1451 by the banker Jacques Coeur is a rare example of a late medieval urban residence. It is well preserved, its size and the richness of its decoration are exceptional, and it is a closely dated building, erected in a single campaign. The house was only just finished at the time of Jacques Coeur's arrest in 1451; it was mutilated and altered when it was used as the city hall (1682-1858) and later as the court-house (1858-1920). Major restorations were executed in 1858-1870 and 1927-1938; the last returned the building to its original state. It lies between the Gallo-Roman city wall to the west and a street to the east and is an irregular quadrangle in plan (60 x 40 m) with a courtyard.