Domaine de Montalban
MonumentHidden Treasure
Domaine de Montalban, located in Casseuil (Gironde), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Casseuil, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.5861, -0.1230
- Mérimée Reference
- PA33000137
At the gateway to the Gironde, the Domaine de Montalban is an 18th-century residence nestling in a strategic setting, famous for its extremely rare period Chinese wallpapers and its chapel redecorated in the Romantic style.
History
Nestling on the banks of the Garonne, the Domaine de Montalban at Casseuil is one of those character residences that reconciles military history with the French art of living. Heir to a medieval fortified house that once commanded the Pas-de-Saint-Georges ford, the estate has been transformed over the centuries into an elegant country residence in the Gironde, while retaining traces of its defensive origins. What really sets Montalban apart from many other country houses in the Bordeaux region is the exceptional presence of three Chinese wallpaper hangings covering the entire walls of several reception rooms. Dating from around 1800, these canvases with their white and green backgrounds, depicting exotic birds, butterflies and branches in blossom or fruit, form an ensemble that is extremely rare in France. Bringing three of these wallpapers together in the same house testifies to their commissioners' pronounced taste for chinoiserie, then at the height of its vogue in aristocratic and bourgeois European interiors. The layout of the house invites you to take a varied architectural stroll. The rectangular main house opens out to the south onto a panoramic terrace added in the eighteenth century, providing a green setting for contemplation. To the north, the outbuildings and the main house form an ordered inner courtyard, enclosed by a wall and punctuated by a circular corner tower that discreetly recalls the fortified origins of the estate. In these former outbuildings, a chapel converted in 1745 and then redecorated in the 19th century exudes an atmosphere of intimate, refined piety. Visitors with an interest in the history of the decorative arts will find this a rare place to explore: nowhere else in the Gironde region can you see such a dialogue between the sober architecture of provincial neoclassicism and the orientalist fantasy of these Asian panoramas. Photographers and lovers of authentic heritage, preserved far from the mass tourist circuits, will be particularly delighted.
Architecture
The Montalban estate is a coherent example of Gironde civil architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries, where the severity of its defensive origins was gradually tempered by the influence of classical styles. The main building, rectangular in plan, is typical of Bordeaux mansions, with its sober elevation, regularly arranged openings and low-pitched, tiled roof. The southern terrace, added in the 18th century, adds a touch of lightness and opens up the building to the surrounding landscape. The courtyard layout is particularly interesting: the rectangular outbuildings to the north link up with the dwelling to form a main courtyard, while a secondary courtyard reserved for agricultural and domestic activities opens out to the east, enclosed by a boundary wall and enlivened by a circular corner tower. This tower, probably a vestige of the original defensive arrangements or a neo-medieval reinterpretation, is the most spectacular feature of the estate's exterior silhouette. Inside, the highlight is undoubtedly the Chinese wallpaper. These three panoramic paintings, two with white backgrounds and the third with green, depict exotic flora and fauna of remarkable finesse throughout the rooms: colourful birds in a variety of plumages, butterflies in flight or posed, trees in bloom and branches laden with fruit. The chapel, accessible from the courtyard, retains its sober, restrained 19th-century interior décor.
Related Figures
Propriétaires du XVIIIe siècle ayant commandé les agrandissements successifs du domaineCommanditaires des papiers peints chinois, probables grands négociants ou nobles bordelais du tournant du XIXe siècleFondateur de la chapelle privée en 1745, membre de la famille propriétaireArtisans et décorateurs ayant remanié la chapelle au XIXe siècle dans le goût romantiqueConservateurs régionaux des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription de 2010
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Domaine de Montalban located?
Domaine de Montalban is located in Casseuil, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Domaine de Montalban built?
Domaine de Montalban dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Domaine de Montalban open to visitors?
Domaine de Montalban is currently closed to visitors.