Château de la Perraudière
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de la Perraudière, located in Lué-en-Baugeois (Maine-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
- Lué-en-Baugeois, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109163
Built around 1657 for an Angevin councillor, La Perraudière is a remarkable seigneurial estate: a classical main building, outbuildings, chapel and Louis XVI woodwork of rare elegance.
History
Nestling in the peaceful Baugeois region, a land of abbeys and discreet manor houses, Château de la Perraudière is one of the best-preserved manor houses in Maine-et-Loire. Far from the beaten tourist track, it reveals to those who take the time to linger over it all the coherence of a noble residence from the Grand Siècle, which has remained almost intact in its original layout. What makes La Perraudière truly unique is the completeness of its architectural programme. The château itself is just the heart of an estate organised with classical rigour: lateral outbuildings framing the main courtyard, outbuildings carefully aligned, stables, tack room, servants' quarters, adjoining farm and private chapel founded in 1662 - all elements that make it possible to read, almost without gaps, the organisation of a large provincial house under Louis XIV. Inside, the house is full of surprises. The grand salon retains its sober, refined 18th-century wood panelling, evidence of a modernisation campaign carried out during the Age of Enlightenment. The Louis XVI dining room continues this atmosphere of measured elegance, with its painted panelling and delicate stuccowork that evoke Anjou's taste for a French château lifestyle of comfort and distinction. The landscaped setting adds to the charm of the whole. Behind the château, the garden organises the space according to a logic inherited from French classicism, while the chapel, set slightly apart, punctuates the estate with a discreet touch of spirituality. The Bauge countryside, with its gentle hedgerows and peaceful horizons, envelops everything in a serenity that neither time nor mass tourism has altered.
Architecture
Château de la Perraudière is in the tradition of classical French architecture of the second half of the 17th century, as seen in the great provincial residences of Anjou. The main building, flanked by two wings forming lateral outbuildings, forms a U-shaped plan opening onto the main courtyard, a typical layout for French châteaux of the period, borrowing from the lessons of the great Parisian architects while adapting them to local resources and materials - the soft, blonde stone of the Loire was a natural choice for the frames and sculpted features. The main courtyard is framed by the outbuildings - stables, tack room and servants' quarters - forming a coherent whole that illustrates the hierarchy of spaces typical of the great noble houses. This orderly organisation, in which each function has its place in an overall plan conceived from the outset, gives the estate a rare architectural legibility. The farmhouse, next to the château, and the chapel, behind it, complete the programme, following a rigorous functional and symbolic logic. The interior features some of the most refined decorations. The grand salon retains its 18th-century wood panelling, carved with delicate motifs that bear witness to meticulous craftsmanship, probably entrusted to artisans trained in Anjou or Touraine workshops. The Louis XVI dining room, with its characteristic ornamentation - medallions, garlands, neoclassical friezes - is a perfect illustration of the evolution in taste between the late Baroque and the neoclassical sobriety that marked the end of the Ancien Régime.
Related Figures
Sébastien Serezin — conseiller et ancien président de l'élection d'Angers, commanditaire du château vers 1657Les artisans angevins du XVIIe siècle — maçons et charpentiers locaux ayant édifié l'ensembleLes décorateurs du XVIIIe siècle — boiseurs et sculpteurs ayant réalisé les lambris du grand salonLes propriétaires anonymes des Lumières — commanditaires de la modernisation intérieure Louis XVILes agents des Monuments Historiques — auteurs de l'arrêté d'inscription de 1986 ayant officialisé la protection du domaine
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de la Perraudière located?
Château de la Perraudière is located in Lué-en-Baugeois, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Château de la Perraudière built?
Château de la Perraudière dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de la Perraudière open to visitors?
Château de la Perraudière is currently closed to visitors.