The Colombier House

Historic site and monument

Maison du Colombier
5 rue du Four Banal
38460 Crémieu

The Maison du Colombier is an elegant 16th-century Renaissance residence. In addition to a horseshoe-shaped tower converted into a dovecote in the 18th century and a facade protected by a “genoise” of canal tiles beneath its roof, it features a corner mullioned window.

The Maison du Colombier is an elegant 16th-century townhouse. It owes its name to its truncated horseshoe-shaped tower, which was converted into a dovecote in the 18th century.

Its whitewashed façade features a corner mullioned window, and directly beneath the roof, a watercourse made of several rows of canal tiles protects the façade from rainwater runoff.

Across from this building, at the corner of Rue du Four Banal and Rue Saint Jean, you’ll find the imposing Hôtel de la Poype Saint Jullin, built between the 15th and 17th centuries. This property, which belonged to an ancient aristocratic family
originally from the area near Crémieu, was bequeathed by Louis de la Poype Saint Jullin to serve as a shelter for the needy from the 17th century until 1864.

Across from this mansion stands an unusual house topped by a tower, which is, in fact, the town’s former parish church. This Church of Saint Jean, whose construction began in 1504, was not consecrated until 1680.