Ancien château des Archevêques de Tours
CastleHidden Treasure
Ancien château des Archevêques de Tours, located in Candes-Saint-Martin (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Candes-Saint-Martin, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.2109, 0.0727
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097607
Once the summer residence of the archbishops of Tours, this Renaissance château watches over the Loire-Vienne confluence. Its monumental semi-circular gateway and polygonal stair tower make it a discreet jewel in the Loire Valley.
© Wikimedia Commons / Wikipedia
History
Standing on the heights of Candes-Saint-Martin, at the majestic confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers, the former château of the Archbishops of Tours is part of one of the most emblematic landscapes in the Loire Valley. Far from the excessiveness of the royal châteaux that dot the region, it embodies an architecture of ecclesiastical prestige, designed for the literate otium of the princes of the Church, between representation of power and country retreat. Its architecture reflects a subtle transition between the late 15th-century flamboyant Gothic style and the first inflections of the French Renaissance. The large entrance portal, nestling in a ceremonial hemicycle, is immediately striking for its balance: the almost semi-circular arch, topped by a low pediment, is framed by flat pilasters adorning hollow-jointed pillars, typical features of early Renaissance workshops in the Loire Valley. The polygonal tower at the corner of the two buildings adds a touch of functional elegance, the work of craftsmen well-versed in building sites in Touraine. The estate retains a remarkable unity despite successive alterations. The courtyard, bordered to the north by sober outbuildings, and the covered gallery to the rear - whose stone railing supports wooden pillars with struts - evoke the atmosphere of a seigneurial residence that is still very much alive. This gallery, open to the gardens and the panorama of the confluence, must have been the heart of the daily life of the holidaying prelates. To visit this château is to immerse yourself in an almost confidential history of medieval and renaissance France: here the great royal policies, the ambitions of the powerful ecclesiastical families and the gentle way of life in Touraine intersect. The setting of Candes-Saint-Martin, a village listed as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, amplifies the magic of the place. The nearby collegiate church of Saint-Martin is a reminder that this area was a spiritual and political centre of considerable importance from the early Middle Ages onwards.
Architecture
The château consists of two buildings set at right-angles to each other, forming an angle into which a polygonal staircase tower is inserted - a solution typical of French châteaux of the late 15th century, which preferred corbelled or freestanding towers to the straight stairwells of the medieval tradition. This tower, which was probably lit by small mullioned windows, provided vertical access to the complex and was a visible architectural landmark from the courtyard. The most remarkable feature of the exterior is undoubtedly the large entrance portal, set back in a masonry hemicycle, a rare feature that gives it a solemnity akin to the entrances to Italian episcopal palaces. The almost semicircular arch, topped by a low-arched pediment, is flanked by two small side doors, creating a tripartite entrance inspired by Antiquity. The hollow-jointed pillars adorned with flat pilasters reveal the hand of Touraine craftsmen trained in the new Renaissance vocabulary, who were probably active on several contemporary building sites in the Loire Valley. The masonry used tuffeau, the region's white chalky limestone, which is both easy to cut and remarkably suitable for fine sculpted decoration. At the rear of the château, to the north, a covered gallery forms a transitional space between the interior and the garden. Its stone railing, supporting wooden pillars with struts, bears witness to a mixed treatment combining the solidity of stone and the lightness of wood - a common choice for 16th-century holiday galleries. The outbuildings delimiting the courtyard to the north complete a homogeneous ensemble, which also retains some 15th-century bays in contrast to the 18th-century additions.
Related Figures
Robert de Lenoncourt — archevêque de Tours, commanditaire de la construction à partir de 1485Martin de Beaune — archevêque de Tours, achève le château en 1520 et 1527Louis XI (dauphin) — conspire contre son père Charles VII ; ses complices sont jugés et exécutés au château primitif en 1446Charles VII — roi de France dont l'autorité est menacée par la conspiration déjouée à CandesJacques de Beaune — surintendant des finances de François Ier, oncle de Martin de Beaune, dont l'influence se ressent dans l'ambition du chantier
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancien château des Archevêques de Tours located?
Ancien château des Archevêques de Tours is located in Candes-Saint-Martin, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Ancien château des Archevêques de Tours built?
Ancien château des Archevêques de Tours dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancien château des Archevêques de Tours open to visitors?
Ancien château des Archevêques de Tours is currently closed to visitors.