Manoir de la Plâterie
ManorHidden Treasure
Manoir de la Plâterie, located in Restigné (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
- Restigné, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.2844, 0.2321
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097939
An elegant Touraine manor house dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, La Plâterie boasts a classical ashlar facade, symmetrical pavilions and a remarkable Italian-style staircase, a discreet jewel in the Bourgueil vineyard.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the gentle wine-growing landscape of Restigné, on the borders of the Chinonais and Bourgueil regions, the Manoir de la Plâterie embodies the noble art of living of the classical centuries with a grace all its own. Far from the ostentation of the great royal residences of the Loire, it displays a measured elegance, that of a seigneurial residence rooted in its terroir, each stone of which tells the story of two centuries of successive architectural care. What really sets La Plâterie apart is the coherence of an ensemble built by two hands and two eras, without the seam showing. The 17th century laid the foundations: the massive central dwelling, the two pavilion wings and the two symmetrical outbuildings on the entrance side, one of which still houses a seigniorial chapel. The eighteenth century then refined, ornamented and slimmed the whole - triangular pediments crowning the wings, attic extensions, and above all the southern facade, entirely rebuilt in gilded ashlar, which captures the light of Anjou with gentle authority. Inside, the surprise is complete: a seventeenth-century Italian-style staircase rises from the heart of the dwelling with an unexpected lightness for its time, its open flights framing a generous daylight that bathes the landings in light. This architectural feature is rare in a Touraine residence of this scale, and is in itself a reason to push open the door. Behind the manor house, out of sight, an eighteenth-century orangery extends the garden northwards in a studious, horticultural retreat. Lovers of discreet, authentic heritage will find here what the valley's leading châteaux can no longer offer: silence, a human scale, and the feeling of time suspended between two vine-growing seasons.
Architecture
The Manoir de la Plâterie has a U-shaped floor plan, open to the south, which is the canonical layout of the Touraine noble residence of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The taller, more imposing central dwelling is flanked by two slightly recessed pavilion wings, creating a courtyard of honour that is naturally defined by the two symmetrical entrance pavilions. This layout creates a dialogue between the volumes, giving the whole a classical rigour tempered by the softness of the local limestone, the blond tufa typical of the Loire Valley, which glows almost ochre in the setting sun. The southern facade, entirely rebuilt in ashlar in the 18th century, features one bay punctuated by mullioned or transomed windows, depending on the level, framed by moulded architraves. The triangular pediments added to the side pavilions introduce a discreet neo-classical vocabulary, characteristic of the provincial Louis Quinzian taste. The mansard-roofed extensions to the wings, with their Mansard roofs, provide an elegant transition between the verticality of the pavilions and the horizontality of the central body. The interior is full of surprises, with a seventeenth-century Italian-style staircase whose straight flights and turned balusters are arranged around a generous central daylight, bringing light and lightness to the distribution of the floors. To the rear, the eighteenth-century orangery, with its south-facing gallery of semi-circular arched windows, completes an architectural ensemble of remarkable consistency and quality for a residence of this size.
Related Figures
Chanoines de la collégiale Saint-Martin de Tours — propriétaires de la métairie et gestionnaires du domaine agricole sous l'Ancien RégimeBarons de Saint-Michel-sur-Loire — seigneurs suzerains dont relevait le fief de la PlâteriePropriétaires bâtisseurs du XVIIe siècle — commanditaires du logis central, des pavillons et de l'escalier à l'italienne, identité non établie avec certitudeMaître d'ouvrage du XVIIIe siècle — commanditaire de la façade en pierre de taille, des frontons et de l'orangerie, figure de la noblesse terrienne tourangelle
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Manoir de la Plâterie located?
Manoir de la Plâterie is located in Restigné, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Manoir de la Plâterie built?
Manoir de la Plâterie dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Manoir de la Plâterie open to visitors?
Manoir de la Plâterie is currently closed to visitors.