Diane de Poitiers or king Henri II?
And also
The tops
The ceiling |
Guiguilacagouille / CC-BY-SA
Also known as "Henri II's house" or "Diane de Poitiers' house", because we find Henri's emblem, a "H" and crescents, on the gallery's coffers!
This hotel was the property of lords de Baillac, in the 13th century, before it was rebuilt in 1555. The sleeping partner? Hughes de Pontard, lord of Champdeniers.
He was lawyer in 1518, king's prosecutor in 1527, mayor in 1541. He wanted a gorgeous house: a fine decoration, with two galleries flanked by Ionic columns on first floor and Doric columns on ground floor...
Pontard died of plague in 1565; he left his house to his son François, mayor of La Rochelle. Then, the hotel fell to deputy mayors between 1695 and 1748.
Nowadays it houses a historic and archaeological museum.