Hôtel particulier (hôtel Mabille-Duchêne)
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel particulier (hôtel Mabille-Duchêne), located in Baugé (Maine-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
- Baugé, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5439, -0.1054
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109447
Au cœur de Baugé-en-Anjou, l'hôtel Mabille-Duchêne déploie quatre siècles d'élégance résidentielle, du sobre classicisme angevin à la belle ordonnance des façades du XVIIIe siècle.
History
Nestling in the patrician lanes of Baugé, the Hôtel Mabille-Duchêne is one of those discreet buildings that condense, in a single volume, the long memory of a French provincial town. Listed as a Historic Monument in 1992, it provides an admirable illustration of the continuity of aristocratic and bourgeois housing in Anjou, from the last decades of the 16th century through to the remodelling of the 19th century. What makes this residence unique is precisely the clear overlapping of its construction campaigns. Unlike the great residences of the Loire Valley, which were entirely redesigned during the Renaissance or under Louis XIV, the Hôtel Mabille-Duchêne evolved in layers, with each generation of owners imprinting their own tastes without completely erasing the previous heritage. In this way, we can see the transition between the late 16th century, still marked by medieval sobriety and the first inflections of the Renaissance, and the more ordered volumes of the Grand Siècle, before the decorative refinements of the 18th century. Visiting the building, even from the outside, is like taking a walk through time. The street façade reveals its different phases of construction to the attentive eye: the proportions of the windows, the treatment of the tufa stone surrounds, the rhythm of the levels. Tuffeau, the light-coloured, slightly porous stone characteristic of the Anjou region, gives the building its special warmth, especially in the golden hours of the evening. The setting of Baugé itself reinforces this sense of historical immersion. A small royal town whose castle was home to King René d'Anjou, Baugé has preserved a remarkably well-preserved urban fabric. The Hôtel Mabille-Duchêne is part of this coherent whole, just a stone's throw from the château and the town houses that line the streets of the historic centre, making up a heritage itinerary that is remarkably dense for a town of its size.
Architecture
The Hôtel Mabille-Duchêne illustrates Anjou residential architecture at its most authentic: an organic evolution rather than a monumental programme. The main building, probably arranged around an inner courtyard in the traditional layout of provincial town houses, has a tufa facade whose layout reflects the successive alterations carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries. Tuffeau, the preferred material of the Loire and its tributaries, gives the building its characteristic golden, slightly grainy hue, which takes on an almost immaterial dimension in low-angled light. The most remarkable architectural features are to be found in the treatment of the bays: moulded frames, segmental-arched lintels typical of provincial classicism, and, in the case of the oldest parts dating from the last quarter of the 16th century, perhaps a few remains of dormer windows or antique-style modelling. The roofs, steeply pitched in the Anjou tradition, are covered in local slate, the dominant material throughout Maine-et-Loire. Ironwork - balcony railings, door knockers, railings - forms a second decorative element, characteristic of the late eighteenth century. Inside, homes of this type and from this period generally feature staircases with wrought iron handrails, tufa or marble fireplaces and light-coloured painted woodwork. The whole ensemble is a coherent testimony to the art of living of the Angevin bourgeoisie, between the Protestant sobriety inherited from the 16th century and the discreet elegance of the Enlightenment.
Related Figures
Famille Mabille — dynastie bourgeoise ou de robe angevine ayant donné son nom à la demeure, probablement propriétaire aux XVIIe-XVIIIe sièclesFamille Duchêne — seconde famille noble ou bourgeoise attachée à l'édifice, évoquant une alliance ou une succession au XIXe siècleRené d'Anjou (1409-1480) — roi de Sicile et comte d'Anjou dont le château de Baugé contribua au rayonnement de la ville, contexte dans lequel la bourgeoisie locale s'enrichitOfficiers royaux du présidial d'Anjou — commanditaires typiques de ce type de demeure urbaine au XVIe-XVIIe siècle dans la région
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel particulier (hôtel Mabille-Duchêne) located?
Hôtel particulier (hôtel Mabille-Duchêne) is located in Baugé, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Hôtel particulier (hôtel Mabille-Duchêne) built?
Hôtel particulier (hôtel Mabille-Duchêne) dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel particulier (hôtel Mabille-Duchêne) open to visitors?
Hôtel particulier (hôtel Mabille-Duchêne) is currently closed to visitors.
