Hôtel de Mondrainville, private mansion in Caen (Calvados)

The Hôtel de Mondrainville is a Renaissance private mansion in Caen, built in stages between 1531 and 1562 for Étienne Duval de Mondrainville. Its surviving pleasure pavilion has cream ashlar walls, a steep grey slate roof, a domed turret with an open lantern and statue, and a facade of composite columns with Corinthian capitals. Two arched windows with small balconies sit above a round-arched glazed door.

The building was constructed starting in 1531 for Étienne Duval de Mondrainville, a merchant elevated to nobility in 1548. During the Battle of Caen in World War II, the complex suffered heavy damage, though the small pleasure pavilion survived the bombardment and fires.

The Hôtel de Mondrainville served as a gathering place where the wealthy Étienne Duval de Mondrainville received poets and artists while hosting cultural events for local society. The name 'Hôtel de la Monnaie' reflects its original location near the Mint Yard and shows how residents understood its place in the city.

The mansion sits on Rue Gémare in downtown Caen within walking distance of other historic sites and shops. Since it is a private property not open to the public, visitors can only admire the Renaissance facade and stonework details from the street.

In the early 20th century, the painter Madame Domin installed an exhibition room on the ground floor of the pleasure pavilion and her painting studio on the first floor. The pavilion was saved in 1950 when Louis Bourdil pointed out that it remained visible from the glass hall of the new savings bank.