Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer, located in Cheillé (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Cheillé, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.2570, 0.4097
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097648
A jewel of the Touraine Renaissance nestling in Cheillé, the Cour-au-Berruyer reveals its high pedimented dormers, its Henri II stair tower and an ancient manor house with pilasters of rare elegance.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
In the heart of the Touraine region, between vineyards and meadows on the banks of the River Indre, the Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer is a strikingly coherent piece of architecture. Far from the signposted itineraries of the tourist Loire, this discreet château offers visitors a stone lesson in the French Renaissance at its apogee: the reign of Henry II, a time when local master builders knew how to marry tufa and brick with a grace that could only be described as natural. The château is laid out around an inner courtyard, dominated by a main building flanked by a cylindrical stair tower and a lower wing with an arcaded gallery. This L-shaped layout, typical of stately homes in the mid-sixteenth century, gives the building a breath of fresh air that can be felt as soon as you go through the forecourt gate. The castle's silhouette is punctuated by high stone dormers crowned with alternating triangular and arched pediments, a skilful design that betrays a firm grasp of classical vocabulary. But what really sets the Cour-au-Berruyer apart is the coexistence, on the same estate, of two Renaissance periods: the small manor house next to the entrance gate still has windows framed by pilasters belonging to the "first Renaissance", the period that still groped towards the ancient world with a freshness of feeling. Confronting these two stylistic layers just a few metres apart is a life-size art history exercise, accessible to any attentive visitor. The setting plays a full part in the charm of the place. The dry moats and residual ditches, the ancient vegetation of the outbuildings and the mild climate of the Indre valley envelop the château in an atmosphere of suspended time. Photographers and lovers of architecture will find here angles and light that large, over-visited fortresses hardly ever offer any more.
Architecture
The Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer is fully in keeping with the Henri II style, an accomplished synthesis of the French Renaissance in which the influence of antiquity, filtered through Italian models, is expressed with serene mastery. The main building, with two storeys and attic space, is extended by a stair tower on the courtyard side - a characteristic feature of 16th-century stately homes in the Loire Valley, which emphasises vertical circulation as an element of architectural prestige. At the other end, a low wing, set at right-angles, features a ground floor punctuated by a gallery with semi-circular arches, an Italianate element that evokes the Tuscan loggias adapted to the Touraine climate. The silhouette is dominated by high stone dormers with pediments - alternating triangular and curvilinear pediments found in some of the finest residences from the reign of Henry II - and by remarkable chimney stacks combining ashlar and brick, a common decorative technique in Touraine, where the contrast between materials plays an important ornamental role. Local tuffeau, a soft blonde stone typical of the Loire Valley, is the main material used for the elevations. The small manor house adjoining the forecourt gateway represents an earlier and distinct architectural layer, belonging to the early French Renaissance: its lattice windows framed by superposed pilasters on the château side evoke the first attempts to assimilate the classical vocabulary, still mixed with Gothic reminiscences in the layout of the bays. The comparison of this manor house with the large Henry II dwelling provides a single overview of fifty years of Renaissance architectural development in Touraine.
Related Figures
Henri II, roi de France (1547-1559) — dont le règne donne son nom au style architectural du châteauFamille Berruyer (ou de la Cour-au-Berruyer) — propriétaires fondateurs présumés, nobliaux tourangeaux du XVIe siècleArchitectes anonymes de l'école tourangelle — maîtres d'œuvre locaux formés aux chantiers royaux de la LoireInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (1932-1942) — artisans de la double protection du château
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer located?
Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer is located in Cheillé, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer built?
Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer open to visitors?
Château de la Cour-au-Berruyer is currently closed to visitors.