Hôtel dit Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel dit Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts, located in Chinon (Indre-et-Loire), 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
- Chinon, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.1674, 0.2347
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097686
In the heart of Chinon, this Renaissance hotel houses a corbelled corner turret of rare elegance, a fusion of two centuries of Chinon architecture. This discreet jewel has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1920.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the medieval and Renaissance fabric of Chinon, the Hôtel Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts is one of those buildings that you come across almost by chance, at the bend in a street in the old town, and which immediately reveals the architectural wealth accumulated by this Loire town over the centuries. Its name immediately evokes a specific administrative function, that of royal management of forestry and water resources, which had a profound effect on the economic and legal life of Touraine under the Ancien Régime. What makes this mansion truly unique is the harmonious coexistence of two facades belonging to two distinct eras: the inner courtyard retains the sober, refined lines of the 16th century, while the facade facing the street displays the more assertive vocabulary of the 17th century. This architectural stratification, far from creating a rupture, bears witness to a continuity of taste and ambition typical of the grand residences of the provincial administrative elite. The most spectacular feature is undoubtedly the corbelled corner turret on the street façade, supported by a trompe l'oeil of great technical skill. This cylindrical projection, which seems to emerge from the meeting of two walls, gives the building an almost dramatic presence in the street, reminiscent of the seigneurial dwellings of the Loire region, while heralding the bold plasticity of French classical architecture. Visitors to the Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts can first appreciate the building from the street, where the turret imposes its elegant curve on the white tufa stone. The inner courtyard, when accessible, offers a more intimate dialogue between the ashlar and the Renaissance modelling. The whole complex forms part of an ideal architectural walk through the old town of Chinon, one of the most densely populated in terms of civil monuments on the Loire. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1920, this hotel enjoys protection that guarantees the preservation of its most precious features. It will appeal to lovers of architecture as well as those interested in the administrative history of royal France, offering a rare insight into the way in which the king's officers lived and represented their power in provincial towns.
Architecture
The Hôtel de la Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts is typical of wealthy urban residences in Touraine in the 16th and 17th centuries: a main building built around an inner courtyard, with distinct courtyard and street facades, revealing two clearly identifiable phases of construction. The walls are probably built of tuffeau, the soft white stone typical of the Loire Valley, which lends itself admirably to the fine sculptures and modelling of the Renaissance and Classical styles. The courtyard façade, dating from the 16th century, bears witness to the influence of the French Renaissance in its harmonious proportions and sober sculptural details: moulded bay frames, possible pilasters or horizontal bands punctuating the levels. The street facade, rebuilt in the 17th century, adopts a more massive and solemn vocabulary, heralding the arrival of Louis-Thirteenth century classicism. Its most striking feature is the corbelled corner turret, which juts out from the junction of the two facade walls. This cylindrical turret rests on a "trompe appareillée" - a technical device consisting of a corbelled vault cut into the stone, which provides the transition between the square plan of the wall and the circular plan of the turret - demonstrating the excellence of the work of the Touraine stonemasons. This type of corner turret, inherited from the vocabulary of medieval and flamboyant Gothic dwellings, was reinterpreted with new elegance in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, giving urban residences a cachet that was both aristocratic and refined.
Related Figures
Les maîtres des Eaux et Forêts de Chinon (officiers royaux successifs, XVIe-XVIIIe siècle)François Ier (roi de France, promoteur indirecte de l'essor architectural de la Touraine)Henri IV (sous son règne, codification et renforcement des maîtrises des eaux et forêts)Colbert (réorganisation des Eaux et Forêts par l'ordonnance de 1669, qui encadra les juridictions locales)Les compagnons tailleurs de pierre tourangeaux (artisans de la tourelle en trompe appareillée)
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel dit Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts located?
Hôtel dit Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts is located in Chinon, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Hôtel dit Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts built?
Hôtel dit Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel dit Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts open to visitors?
Hôtel dit Maîtrise des Eaux et Forêts is currently closed to visitors.