Manoir de Breil de Foin
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir de Breil de Foin, located in Genneteil (Maine-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Manor
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Genneteil, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5618, 0.0813
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109129
Nestling in the Angevin bocage, the Breil de Foin manor house unfurls its Gothic-Renaissance volumes over two centuries of white tufa stone, between medieval dwellings and classical 17th-century buildings.
History
Tucked away in the verdant landscape of the commune of Genneteil, on the borders of Anjou and Maine, the Breil de Foin manor house is one of those discreet gems that Maine-et-Loire has in abundance but which the hurried eye does not always find. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1984, this manorial estate elegantly combines the architectural grammars of two very distinct centuries, from the flamboyant late Gothic of the 15th century to the sober, resolute classicism of the 17th century. What makes Le Breil de Foin so special is precisely this stratification that can be read in the stonework. Where other manor houses in Anjou have been altered to the point of uniformity, this one retains the memory of its metamorphoses: the mullioned windows and elaborate dormer windows of the original dwelling interact with the regular façades and moulded frames introduced during the building campaigns of the Grand Siècle. The whole complex is built of tuffeau, the soft blonde limestone so characteristic of the Loire Valley, which gives the buildings a golden glow in the low-angled light of the Anjou autumn. A visit to the manor house and its surroundings is as much a walk through time as it is a walk through space. The outbuildings, the dovecote and the agricultural outbuildings that traditionally accompany this type of seigneurial estate form a coherent whole, bearing witness to the aristocratic rural economy that structured these lands for centuries. The dry and wet moats that once encircled the building are a reminder that this manor house was first and foremost a place of prestige and social affirmation for its owners. The manor's natural setting adds to its charm: the woods and wet meadows of the nearby Loir valley envelop the estate in lush vegetation, offering photographers remarkable vistas throughout the seasons. Spring and autumn are the ideal times to capture the subtle polychromy of the stonework and slate roofs, the king of Loire roofing materials.
Architecture
The Breil de Foin manor house has a composite architecture that reflects its two main construction phases, separated by around two centuries. The original 15th-century main building takes on the characteristic forms of late Anjou flamboyant Gothic: mullioned and transomed windows, dormers with moulded spandrels, and a steeply pitched roof covered in Maine blue slate, a material that is emblematic of the Loire region. The facades are built in tuffeau stone, a white to beige limestone quarry found in the Loire Valley and used to supply almost all the aristocratic building sites in the province. The seventeenth-century work brought a more classical interpretation to the whole: the new bays introduced straight and cross-headed frames, moulded cornices and a more symmetrical organisation of the elevations. The outbuildings and farm outbuildings, arranged around an enclosed courtyard, complete the image of an autonomous, hierarchical manorial estate, as conceived by the French rural aristocracy under the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. The probable presence of a dovecote for seigneurial use testifies to the noble status of the site, as this type of structure was reserved for fiefdom owners.
Related Figures
Seigneurs locaux de la noblesse angevine du XVe siècle, bâtisseurs du logis primitifPropriétaires du XVIIe siècle ayant commandité l'agrandissement classiqueFamilles nobles du bas-Anjou liées à la seigneurie de GenneteilAdministrateurs révolutionnaires ayant géré les biens nobles séquestrés (1793-1799)Propriétaires du XIXe siècle ayant assuré la conservation du domaine
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir de Breil de Foin located?
Manoir de Breil de Foin is located in Genneteil, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Manoir de Breil de Foin built?
Manoir de Breil de Foin dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir de Breil de Foin open to visitors?
Manoir de Breil de Foin is currently closed to visitors.