Château de Chacé
CastleHidden Treasure
A discreet 17th-century jewel nestling in the heart of the Saumur region, the Château de Chacé boasts classical Anjou architecture and elegant proportions, a fine example of the noble lifestyle of the Loire Valley.
History
In the heart of the village of Chacé, a few leagues from Saumur, stands a château that soberly and nobly embodies the architectural spirit of the Grand Siècle in Anjou. Far from the ostentatious splendour of the great royal residences, it illustrates the quality of architecture typical of the provincial nobility, concerned with elegance without excess, matching its volumes to the gentle, luminous landscapes of the Loire Valley. What sets the Château de Chacé apart is precisely this classical restraint that characterises the best 17th-century buildings in Anjou. The rigorously designed main building is in keeping with the great building traditions of the region: the use of white tufa quarried on the banks of the Loire, deep blue-grey slate roofs, symmetrical facades that impose a serene rhythm on the whole. The influence of Parisian classicism can be discerned here, tempered by the local genius of Anjou's master builders. The visit is a unique and intimate experience. Unlike the most popular Loire châteaux, Chacé offers an authentic face-to-face encounter with its heritage: no crowds, no artificial staging, just the tangible presence of a history lived in these white stones that have absorbed three centuries of light from the Loire. Architecture lovers will appreciate the stylistic coherence of the whole, preserved from clumsy alterations. The surrounding countryside adds to the appeal of the place. Chacé is part of the Saumur vineyards, where troglodytic cellars carved out of the tufa rock stand side by side with hillsides planted with Cabernet Franc. The surrounding countryside, gentle and verdant, is ideal for walks in all seasons, extending the discovery of the château with an immersion in the terroir of Anjou.
Architecture
Château de Chacé is in keeping with the classical vocabulary of the 17th century as expressed in Anjou, with its distinct regional characteristics. The two-storey main building, topped by a slate-covered gambrel or long-sloped roof, has a well-ordered facade whose rigorous symmetry reflects the influence of French classicism, which spread from Paris to all the provinces of the kingdom. The regularly-patterned openings are probably framed with mouldings in tuffeau, the soft white limestone characteristic of the Loire basin, which is both a building material and a support for extremely fine sculpted ornamentation. The tufa, which is omnipresent in the architecture of the Saumur region, gives the building a luminous golden hue that varies with the time of day, from milky white in the morning to warm ochre in the evening. The blue slate roof, typical of the whole Loire Valley, forms a striking chromatic contrast with the light-coloured walls, reinforcing the visual identity of the château in its green surroundings. The outbuildings and farm outbuildings, essential to the running of a rural estate of this era, probably complete the architectural layout around an enclosed or semi-enclosed courtyard, as was common in Anjou manor houses of the Grand Siècle. The interior layout probably follows the enfilade layout typical of the 17th century, with a hierarchy of rooms ranging from reception flats to more private areas, organised around a central staircase with a straight or winding banister. The woodwork - panelling, fireplaces with straight stone mantels - is the most precious evidence of the decorative art of this period, halfway between the sobriety of Louis XIII and the growing refinement of the Louis XIV style.
Related Figures
Commanditaire anonyme du XVIIe siècle, vraisemblablement gentilhomme ou officier royal saumuroisMaîtres d'œuvre angevins locaux, héritiers de la grande tradition constructive ligériennePropriétaires successifs du XVIIIe siècle, acteurs de la vie seigneuriale et viticole du SaumuroisAdministrateurs révolutionnaires locaux ayant géré la transition de propriété après 1789Famille bourgeoise du XIXe siècle ayant assuré la conservation de l'édificeInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription de 1968
