"History
The building has its origins in the palace rebuilt for Duke Jean I of Berry, at the end of the 14th century, by Guy de Dammartin, then Drouet de Dammartin.
Duke Jean de Berry died in 1416 and his palace became the possession of the crown of France. The future King Charles VII, dauphin of France, named Duke of Berry in 1417, took refuge in Bourges at the age of 15 in 1418 to escape the Burgundians who invaded Paris under the orders of the killer Capeluche. Surrounded by the crown officers of the Armagnac Party, he resided in the Berry palace and made Bourges his capital. His summer residence is at the castle of Mehun-sur-Yèvre. His eldest son, the future King Louis XI, was born in 1423 in the Berry Palace in Bourges. (However, some historians consider him to have been born in the former archiepiscopal palace of Bourges).
The remains of the palace were classified as historical monuments on October 28, 1895.
When the Duke of Berry Jean de France had his palace built on the site of the royal palace, near the Grosse Tour built by Philippe Auguste, it comprising three parts:
the Grand Palace,
the Small Palace in alignment with the Grand Palace,
the Sainte-Chapelle, built perpendicular to the great palace.
The great palace and the Sainte-Chapelle were connected by the Galerie au Cerf. The latter was open and had a large stag bearing the Duke's coat of arms.
The Grand Palace was built astride the ancient Gallo-Roman ramparts of the city.
The Sainte-Chapelle was started around 1375 by Guy de Dammartin, master general of the duke's works. His brother Drouet completed the work after his brother's death around 1398. The Sainte-Chapelle was consecrated on April 18, 1405. Two disasters led to its destruction. In 1693 a fire caused serious damage, then in 1756 a violent storm caused a partial collapse. In 1757, the Archbishop of Bourges asked the king for authorization to demolish it. A significant part of what it contained, including the tomb of Duke John, was transported to the lower church of the cathedral.
Of the Grand Palais, the ravages of time have only allowed one part to be preserved. A fire in 1693 left only the walls. The royal prisons were established there, which became departmental after the Revolution. Restored at the end of the 19th century, the remaining building houses the room of Duke Jean which is the seat of the general council of Cher.
The Duke of Berry had purchased in 1396, near the Grand Palais, the house of Louis de Sancerre, constable of France. Louis XI converted it in 1468 to make it the “king’s dwelling”.
In the 17th century, the Intendance of Berry succeeded the ducal palace.
During the Revolution, the monument became a “national asset”. It then houses the archives and the prison.
In 1800, with the creation of the prefectures, the old palace officially became the Cher prefecture hotel. Then, in the middle of the 19th century, the Duke Jean room was restored and hosted the sessions of the General Council."