Maison en bois du 16e siècle dite de l'Ave Maria
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison en bois du 16e siècle dite de l'Ave Maria, located in Montrichard (Loir-et-Cher), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Montrichard, Loir-et-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.3430, 1.1866
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098516
In the heart of Montrichard, this 16th-century half-timbered house fascinates visitors with its sculpted corbelled wall plates and its corner post adorned with an Annunciation, a discreet masterpiece of the Loire Renaissance.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Tucked away in the narrow streets of Montrichard, in the Loir-et-Cher region, the house known as the Ave Maria is one of the finest examples of 16th-century wooden civil architecture in the Loire Valley. Although seemingly discreet, to the attentive eye it reveals a wealth of ornamental details of rare finesse, typical of bourgeois residences of the French Renaissance in an urban setting. What immediately sets this building apart from its neighbours is the exceptional quality of its wood carving. The corbelled sablières, the tapered pilasters framing the windows, the culottes, culs-de-lampe and pinnacles with hooks and finials: every detail betrays the hand of seasoned craftsmen, probably trained at the school of the great building sites in the Loire region that gave life to the region during this flourishing period. The highlight of the decor is the corner post depicting the Annunciation - the Virgin receiving the Archangel Gabriel - which gave the house its nickname. The experience of visiting the house is that of an intimate dialogue between stone and wood: the solid ashlar ground floor anchors the building firmly in the ground, while the slightly overhanging timber-framed upper floors seem to reach for the sky. The exposed beams and joists, and the protruding gables with their overhanging framework, contribute to the impression of architectural lightness that is characteristic of timber-framed houses in the Loire. Montrichard itself is an ideal setting in which to discover this jewel. Dominated by the 11th-century square keep and bordered by the Cher river, the little town is a concentration of Touraine's medieval and Renaissance architecture. The Maison de l'Ave Maria is a natural part of this heritage walk, just a stone's throw from the troglodytic cellars and vineyards for which this terroir between the Loire and Sologne is famous.
Architecture
The Ave Maria house offers a lesson in French Renaissance civil architecture in its most vernacular and authentic version. Its vertical layout is divided into two main sections: a sturdy, sober ashlar base forming the ground floor, and, above this, a facade built entirely of timber framing, projecting slightly beyond the ground floor - the corbelling principle, which makes it possible to increase the living space on the upper floors while visually lightening the structure. The runners - horizontal beams running across each floor level - are worked with particular care: adorned with finely chiselled sculptures, they serve both as a load-bearing structure and as a decorative feature. The floor beams and joists are exposed, their ends visible under the lower eaves. At each end of the facade, a projecting gable with a projecting truss adds vertical rhythm and depth to the whole. The windows are framed by tapering pilasters - fine, ornamental uprights inspired by Antiquity - embellished with culottes, culs-de-lampe and pinnacles with hooks and fleurons, a decorative vocabulary directly inherited from the flamboyant Gothic style but reinterpreted with the lightness of the Renaissance. The cornice post - a structural corner post - is the centrepiece of the decoration: the Annunciation scene carved into it, depicting the Archangel Gabriel facing the Virgin Mary, is of a rare plastic quality for this type of urban craft. Architectural style: late flamboyant Gothic with Renaissance inflections, typical of early 16th-century Loire production.
Related Figures
Artisans charpentiers-sculpteurs locaux du XVIe siècle (auteurs présumés du décor sculpté)Propriétaire bourgeois commanditaire inconnu (premier tiers du XVIe siècle)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques des années 1920 (classement de 1926)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison en bois du 16e siècle dite de l'Ave Maria located?
Maison en bois du 16e siècle dite de l'Ave Maria is located in Montrichard, Loir-et-Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Maison en bois du 16e siècle dite de l'Ave Maria built?
Maison en bois du 16e siècle dite de l'Ave Maria dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison en bois du 16e siècle dite de l'Ave Maria open to visitors?
Maison en bois du 16e siècle dite de l'Ave Maria is currently closed to visitors.