Bourges - Palais Jacques Coeur

In Bourges, southeast of the Hôtel Cujas is the Palais Jacques Côur, a palace built on the remains of the Gallo-Roman town walls in 1443-1453 by the royal treasurer Jacques Côur. His heraldic device, a heart (côur) and a scallop- shell (coquille St-Jacques), recurs all over the building. The palace, picturesquely grouped round a courtyard, is one of the finest examples of a Gothic mansion built by a member of the prosperous middle class. In the courtyard, which is partly surrounded by arcades, are three richly decorated staircase towers leading to the upper floors.

In the Great Hall are fine pieces of 15th and 16th C sculpture, including 10 weepers from the tomb of Duc Jean de Berry. The chapel has colorful ceiling paintings of 1488. In spite of the absence of furniture the rooms, with their richly decorated chimneypieces and doors, give a good impression of the living conditions of a prosperous 15th century household.