Manoir de La Bruère (dénommé parfois improprement La Chancellerie)
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir de La Bruère (dénommé parfois improprement La Chancellerie), located in Huismes (Indre-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
- Huismes, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.2278, 0.2541
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097779
A discreet jewel in the crown of Touraine, the manor house of La Bruère in Huismes reveals its Renaissance towers and polygonal staircase nestling in the greenery of the Loire Valley, far from the crowds and glances.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Tucked away in the gentle bocage of the Touraine countryside, not far from the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers, the manor house of La Bruère is one of those monuments that discretion preserves better than fame. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1962 under its real name - and not the misnomer "La Chancellerie" sometimes used - it is a rare example of 16th-century rural manor architecture in Indre-et-Loire, a period when Touraine was enjoying its architectural heyday under the influence of the great royal courts. What makes the manor house truly unique is the legibility of its different architectural layers: the attentive visitor can read in it, as in a stone book, the successive ambitions of its owners. The ground floor of the main building, whose upper storey has been demolished over time, still features a wide, low barrel-vaulted corridor that once gave access to the inner courtyard - an entrance feature that is still intact and rare for a manor house of this size. To the east, a second, higher and better-preserved main building reinforces the composite and organic character of the complex. The experience of the site is as much about its architectural silhouettes as its atmosphere. The polygonal staircase tower to the south of the eastern dwelling and the square tower to the north frame the whole with an elegant sobriety typical of the manor houses built in Touraine between the late Gothic and early Renaissance periods. The south gable end of the wing, which has been preserved in its original state despite 18th-century alterations, completes the picture with its well and bread oven - details of the daily life of the lord of the manor that are striking in their authenticity. The natural setting, rolling hills and lush greenery, enhances the feeling of travelling back in time. Far from the signposted tourist routes of the Loire, the Manoir de La Bruère is for lovers of authentic heritage, for those who prefer thoughtful contemplation to organised spectacle. Photographers, amateur historians or simple walkers in search of the depths of Touraine will find it an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Architecture
The manor house at La Bruère has a composite layout based around several organically arranged buildings, typical of French manor house architecture built over several generations. The western building, which is undoubtedly the oldest in terms of design, has had its upper storey removed, leaving only the ground floor with a wide, low barrel-vaulted corridor. This passageway, which provided access to the inner courtyard, is a monumental entrance feature for a manor house of modest size, and betrays the ambitions of its patrons in terms of pomp and circumstance. To the east stands the main building, which is taller and better preserved. It is flanked to the south by a polygonal tower housing the staircase - a characteristic Touraine Renaissance shape, halfway between the medieval spiral and the classical stairwell - and to the north by a square tower that balances the composition while reinforcing the residual defensive character of the complex. These two towers frame the dwelling with discreet rigour, without ostentation. A south-facing wing, redesigned in the 18th century, nevertheless retains its original southern gable, with its well and masonry bread oven - particularly well-preserved features of the seigneurial rural lifestyle. The materials used are traditional to the Loire Valley: local white tufa for the fine masonry and slate for the roofing, giving the whole building the soft, luminous palette so characteristic of Touraine's heritage.
Related Figures
Jean Dreux — procureur du roi à Chinon, propriétaire du domaine en 1650, premier propriétaire documentéCommanditaire inconnu du XVIe siècle — maître d'ouvrage présumé de la construction initiale du manoirArchitecte ou maître maçon local du XVIe siècle — auteur probable de la tour polygonale et du logis orientalPropriétaires du XVIIIe siècle — responsables de la modernisation de l'aile sud en retour d'équerre
