Château de la Touche-Savary
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de la Touche-Savary, located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés (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
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109271
A discreet manor house in the Anjou bocage, La Touche-Savary boasts an elegant 18th-century classical façade set within an older main building, bearing witness to a singular provincial refinement.
History
Nestling in the Anjou bocage, away from the main tourist routes, Château de la Touche-Savary is one of those gentleman's manor houses that best embody the gentle way of life of France's provincial nobility. Its composite architecture, the result of a long history in two acts - a first body built in the seventeenth century, followed by a campaign of reconstruction and embellishment in the last quarter of the eighteenth century - gives it an endearing personality, halfway between classical austerity and pre-classical lightness. What makes La Touche-Savary truly unique is precisely this visible stratification in the stone: where so many residences have been homogenised by overzealous restoration campaigns, this one preserves the trace of its successive evolutions. The proportions of the openings, the treatment of the dormers and the composition of the elevations reveal two periods that coexist without contradicting each other, forming a discreet but eloquent architectural lesson. The attentive visitor will appreciate the quality of its setting in the Maine-et-Loire landscape: the gentle hills of the bocage, the hedgerows and meadows that surround it contribute fully to the aesthetic experience of the place. The château is not a monument to be contemplated from afar; it invites you to approach it slowly, to gradually read its façades from the outskirts of the estate. Registration as a Historic Monument in 1972 guarantees the protection of this discreet but precious heritage. It is a sign that the State has recognised La Touche-Savary as an authentic example of Angevin residential architecture, an indispensable link in the chain of residences that dot this département, rich in châteaux and manor houses. For lovers of French rural heritage, this visit offers a welcome break from the crowds.
Architecture
The architecture of Château de la Touche-Savary is that of a seigneurial residence in Anjou, typical of the transition between the classicism of the Grand Siècle and the neoclassical inflections of the late Ancien Régime. The rectangular, elongated main building has two storeys topped by a French-style roof with pedimented dormer windows. Tuffeau from the Loire - the soft, luminous white stone that is omnipresent in the architecture of the Val d'Anjou - is most likely the dominant material on the facades, giving it the characteristic brightness of Anjou homes in the changing light of the bocage. The composition of the elevations reveals two construction periods, which can be seen in the treatment of the openings: the more squat 17th-century bays stand alongside the more slender 18th-century elongated windows with small panes of wood, arranged in strict symmetry. Outbuildings, farm outbuildings and possibly an estate chapel complete the ensemble, forming a coherent whole organised around a courtyard or forecourt. Inside, the house has probably retained the layout typical of a residence from this period: entrance hall, lounge and dining room on the ground floor, bedrooms upstairs served by a staircase with a wrought-iron banister. Carved tufa mantelpieces, Louis XV or Louis XVI panelling and ceilings with moulded cornices are the interior decorative features most representative of this type of building in the Anjou region.
Related Figures
La famille Savary — possesseurs éponymes du domaine, probablement à l'origine de la première construction au XVIIe sièclePropriétaire anonyme du dernier quart du XVIIIe siècle — commanditaire de la campagne de modernisation néoclassiqueArchitecte local inconnu — vraisemblablement un maître d'œuvre angevin formé dans la tradition du tuffeau
Map
Coordinates not available for this monument.
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de la Touche-Savary located?
Château de la Touche-Savary is located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Château de la Touche-Savary built?
Château de la Touche-Savary dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de la Touche-Savary open to visitors?
Château de la Touche-Savary is currently closed to visitors.