Hotel Groslot is located at Orléans, on Place de l'Étape, near the Sainte-Croix Cathedral, in the city center.
This private mansion, sometimes also called "Grande-Maison de l'Étape", "Maison du Gouverneur" or "L'Intendance", was built from 1549 for Jacques Groslot, bailiff of Orléans.
The history of the building is marked by its occupation from October 1560 by King François II and his court to mark his opposition to Jérôme Groslot, son of the first owner, committed to Protestant ideas. The sovereign dies on the spot in December. His brother Charles IX then aged 10 and Catherine de Medici, his mother, who was in charge of the regency, still stayed in the hotel until February 1561.
After this departure, the hotel again became a Protestant den.
The prestigious building was acquired by the city in 1738, which first housed the stewards of the duchy of Orléans, then the Groslot hotel became the town hall of Orléans from the Revolution.
Restored in the middle of the 19th century then listed in 1862, the building has retained its characteristic red brick façade forming diamond shapes. It consists of a central building accompanied by two wings and a double-flight staircase. The wings were added after it was purchased by the city, and the statue of Joan of Arc in front of the steps was installed in the 19th century.
The interior decoration was redesigned around 1850 in a so-called troubadour Gothic style and canvases, Aubusson tapestries and wooden chests, in particular, make up the furniture.
If the administrative services of the municipality were transferred to a more functional building, on the same square, in 1981, the Groslot hotel still welcomes weddings celebrated at Orléans. The Hall of Honour, the former council chamber and the former mayor's office are occasionally occupied for official town ceremonies.
Note that the gardens complete the site visit, accessible from rue d'Escures. You can admire the massifs and centuries-old trees there, in an atmosphere that is all the more romantic since these gardens also house the remains (porch) of the old Saint-Jacques chapel.
Information on +33 2 38 24 05 05.
