Château de Vaujours
Encyclopedia
The Château de Vaujours is a ruined castle
from the 12th and 15th centuries, located in the commune
of Château-la-Vallière
in the Indre-et-Loire
département of central France
. It was part of the seigneurie (manor
) of Chasteaux-en-Anjou, the future Château-la-Vallière.
. It stands on the eastern border of the ancient Haut-Anjou, part of the former province of Anjou
.
) of Baugé
and the diocese
of Angers
. Hugues I d'Alluye, living in 978, is the earliest known lord. The castle of the barons of Chasteaux was built to defend the territory of Anjou.
Construction of the castle can be attributed to Hugues VI d'Alluye or to Rotron of Montfort, around 1250.
During the Hundred Years War, the fortress was never taken by the English. A major restoration was undertaken in the 15th century. Jean V de Bueil
, nicknamed «le Fléau des Anglais» {the flail
of the English), altered the defences such that they became impenetratable. He later died there, in 1477.
Louis XI
stayed there during his visits to Anjou.
The daughter of Charles VII
and Agnès Sorel
, Jeanne de Valois, married Antoine de Bueil, son of Jean V de Bueil.
Under the Ancien Régime, the castle was bought by Louis XIV
in 1666 and given in 1667 to his former mistress, Mademoiselle Louise de la Vallière
; she became Duchesse de La Vallière et de Vaujours.
In the 18th century, Louise de la Vallière left the castle and bequeathed it to the Davot family, who occupied the castle for a long period. The castle was abandoned during the French Revolution
. In 1815, it was sold to Thomas Stanhope-Holland who used it as a quarry.
The site was added to the list of monuments historiques
on 24 October 1944, and the ruins were classified on 26 January 1989..
The site and castle are private property.
The castle, of typical military architecture, stands on a mound in the middle of a lake whose waters feed the moat
s which surround it. It is formed of two fortresses: a bailey
to the west and the castle to the east.
The entry to the double enceinte
is defended by two cylindrical towers and a flying bridge, flanked to the north by a bastion
. A drawbridge
and a postern
flanked by a cylindrical tower to the north provide access to the courtyard. The residence is to the south, the ruins of the chapel to the north. To the east, the towers give access to a covered chemin de ronde
and to the south the bastion connected to the fortress and a further building.
Inside the fortress the keep
still exists, as well as the lower courtyard. The enceinte includes several towers, some of which have rustication
. The moats are, today, dried up and invaded by vegetation. The ruins have been cleared of vegetation and are surrounded by lawns and hedges
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
from the 12th and 15th centuries, located in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Château-la-Vallière
Château-la-Vallière
Château-la-Vallière is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire département in central France.-Château de Vaujours:The Château de Vaujours, situated three trois kilometres south of Château-la-Vallière, is an ancient fortress from the 12th and 15th centuries. It belonged to the manor of Chasteaux-en-Anjou,...
in the Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire is a department in west-central France named after the Indre and the Loire rivers.-History:Indre-et-Loire is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
département of central France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was part of the seigneurie (manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
) of Chasteaux-en-Anjou, the future Château-la-Vallière.
Location
The castle is located 3 kilometres south of Château-la-VallièreChâteau-la-Vallière
Château-la-Vallière is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire département in central France.-Château de Vaujours:The Château de Vaujours, situated three trois kilometres south of Château-la-Vallière, is an ancient fortress from the 12th and 15th centuries. It belonged to the manor of Chasteaux-en-Anjou,...
. It stands on the eastern border of the ancient Haut-Anjou, part of the former province of Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
.
History
The fiefdom of Vaujours was a dependancy of the sénéchaussée (bailiwickBailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
) of Baugé
Baugé
Baugé is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography and transport:Baugé is located 40 km east of Angers, 280 km from Paris, and 70 km from Tours....
and the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
. Hugues I d'Alluye, living in 978, is the earliest known lord. The castle of the barons of Chasteaux was built to defend the territory of Anjou.
Construction of the castle can be attributed to Hugues VI d'Alluye or to Rotron of Montfort, around 1250.
During the Hundred Years War, the fortress was never taken by the English. A major restoration was undertaken in the 15th century. Jean V de Bueil
Jean V de Bueil
Jean V de Bueil , called le Fléau des Anglais "plague of the English", count of Sancerre, vicount of Carentan, lord of Montrésor, Château-la-Vallière, Saint-Calais, Vaujours, Ussé and Vailly, son of Jean IV de Bueil and Margarete Dauphine of Auvergne. He is the author of Le Jouvencel Jean V de...
, nicknamed «le Fléau des Anglais» {the flail
Flail
A flail is an agricultural implement for threshing.Several tools operate similarly to the agricultural implement and are also called flails:...
of the English), altered the defences such that they became impenetratable. He later died there, in 1477.
Louis XI
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
stayed there during his visits to Anjou.
The daughter of Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
and Agnès Sorel
Agnès Sorel
Agnès Sorel , known by the sobriquet Dame de beauté, was a favourite mistress of King Charles VII of France, for whom she bore three daughters....
, Jeanne de Valois, married Antoine de Bueil, son of Jean V de Bueil.
Under the Ancien Régime, the castle was bought by Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
in 1666 and given in 1667 to his former mistress, Mademoiselle Louise de la Vallière
Louise de La Vallière
Louise de La Vallière was a mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. She later became the Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of Vaujours in her own right...
; she became Duchesse de La Vallière et de Vaujours.
In the 18th century, Louise de la Vallière left the castle and bequeathed it to the Davot family, who occupied the castle for a long period. The castle was abandoned during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. In 1815, it was sold to Thomas Stanhope-Holland who used it as a quarry.
The site was added to the list of monuments historiques
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
on 24 October 1944, and the ruins were classified on 26 January 1989..
The site and castle are private property.
Architecture
The castle ruins stand in the valley of the Fare, south of Château-la-Vallière, close to the hamlet of Vaujours.The castle, of typical military architecture, stands on a mound in the middle of a lake whose waters feed the moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
s which surround it. It is formed of two fortresses: a bailey
Bailey
-Fictional Characters:* Beetle Bailey, a comic strip created by Mort Walker* Bailey Pickett, a character on The Suite Life on Deck* Miranda Bailey, a character Grey's Anatomy...
to the west and the castle to the east.
The entry to the double enceinte
Enceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
is defended by two cylindrical towers and a flying bridge, flanked to the north by a bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
. A drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
and a postern
Postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate, particularly in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location, allowing the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern could act as a sally port, allowing...
flanked by a cylindrical tower to the north provide access to the courtyard. The residence is to the south, the ruins of the chapel to the north. To the east, the towers give access to a covered chemin de ronde
Chemin de ronde
A chemin de ronde — also called an allure or, more prosaically, a wall-walk — is a raised, protected walkway behind a castle battlement....
and to the south the bastion connected to the fortress and a further building.
Inside the fortress the keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
still exists, as well as the lower courtyard. The enceinte includes several towers, some of which have rustication
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
. The moats are, today, dried up and invaded by vegetation. The ruins have been cleared of vegetation and are surrounded by lawns and hedges
External links
- Ministry of Culture listing and photo
- Le château de Vaujours on Petit-Patrimoine website
- Ecological description of the site, with map
- Description and map of the Château de Vaujours at Touraine Insolite forum