The palace of Jacques Coeur is a top sight to see in Bourges and one of the finest flamboyant Gothic civilian building in France.
The mid-15th-century Palais Jacques Coeur in Bourges in France Centre is a sumptuous private residence built by a minister of finance with exquisite taste. It is flamboyant Gothic – an architectural style perfectly suited for the ostentations elegance that Coeur wanted his palace to exuberate. The palace had to reflect his recently ennobled status but in the end Jacques Coeur fell out of favor and had to flee France. Today, the palace is mostly visited to appreciate its fine architecture with a limited number of displays and art works from mostly the late Middle Ages.
After the magnificent UNESCO-listed Gothic Cathedral of St Etienne, the top sight in Bourges is the Palace of Jacques Coeur, one of the most impressive flamboyant Gothic secular buildings in France. The life of its builder is as interesting as the architecture.
To reflect his new status, Jacques Coeur had a palace built in Bourges. The palace was erected in a short period (1442-51), is full of symbols and symbolism, and reflects the exquisite taste of its owner.
Jacques Coeur’s downfall was swift. His debtors and competitors – and there were many with better royal connections – accused him of several crimes including poisoning the king’s mistress, Agnès Sorel. He was arrested in 1451 and although his innocence was proven, he was still condemned to prison, public penitence, and a huge fine.
Jacques Coeur escaped from prison in 1455 and fled to Rome. From here, he participated in a papal expedition against the Turks and died of illness in 1456 on the island of Chios. Charles VII allowed his family to inherit what remained of his wealth, which included the palace in Bourges.
The Palace of Jacques Coeur is built on Gallo-Roman ramparts and the exterior walls thus follow curved lines. Outside the palace is still fairly fortified with windows mostly on higher floors and opening to the courtyards rather than directly to the city streets. Although its construction reflected a new willingness to take risks and construct expensively following the end of the pressures of the Hundred Years War in this region, it was still sensible for rich people to take precautions.
The royal fleur-de-lys is also used frequently as a reminder of Coeur’s devotion (and close connection) to King Charles VII. (These were of no use following his arrest.) An equestrian statue of the king was removed from under the Gothic canopy and destroyed following the French Revolution.
The inside of the palace is lightly furnished with only a few exhibits. This makes the palace easy and fun to visit with children. The architecture is the main attraction and it is up and down flights of stairs ever so often, as only a few rooms are seen on each floor.
The interior was not completely fitted out by the time of Coeur’s arrest but the architecture still reflects his notions of style, comfort, and hygiene. Public and private rooms are separated. Corridors give independent access to rooms. Built-in toilets were ahead of its time and didn’t really catch on with the French upper classes until well into the nineteenth century.
The Palais Jacques Coeur is open daily year round, except on some public holidays. Opening hours vary according to the season. Note the lunch break – admission closes half an hour earlier.
In contrast to the city museums of Bourges, admission is charged for visiting the Palais Jacques Coeur. Admission tickets are €7.50 for adults. As with other French nationally owned monuments, children under 18 enter free and European Union residents under 26 also enter for free.
Combination tickets with the north tower and crypt of the St Etienne Cathedral is €11.