Palais Jacques Coeur in Bourges
Monument
From 1443 to 1451, before being arrested, the Superintendent of Finance of King Charles VII, called Jacques Coeur, had a palace constructed in Bourges, the city where he used to stop between his numerous peregrinations. But he never lived in this palace.
Constructed by an unknown architect, Jacques Coeur’s palace is one of the most beautiful expression of the Gothic civil architecture in its last period, already influenced by the charm and the fancy of the French Renaissance. Jacques Coeur’s arms and his famous motto "Nothing is impossible to a willing heart" appear on the front of the entrance pavilion, just like on the rest of the building, which surrounds an internal courtyard. The austerity of the west front, constructed on the Gallo-Roman enclosure’s place, is opposed to the richness and the charm of the east front, which looms above the street. The extremely decorated interior of the palace expresses the dazzling success of a bourgeois who became rich thanks to his genius. The painting adorning the chapel represents the master of the house, his family and his monarch, among angels, saints and prophets. The palace also attests the new taste for comfort, revealed by the number of fireplaces and by the interior communication system, which separates the official movements of people and things from the private service.
Lodging
See the listing of the Hotels near Bourges in Chateauroux
Practical information
Palais Jacques Coeur in Bourges
10 bis rue Jacques-Coeur
18000 Bourges
Localisation
At the intersection of the 3 following main roads: Orléans/Lyons from Clermont-Ferrand, Troyes/Poitiers and Beaune/Tours
Opening / Closing
Open
2 May to 30 June, 9:30 to 12 and 2 to 6:15 pm
1 July to 31 August, 9:30 to 12:30 and 2 to 6:30 pm
1 September to 30 April, 9:30 to 12 and 2 to 5:15 pm
Last admission 60 mins before closing
Closed
on January 1, May 1, November 1, November 11 and December 25