Maison de Saumur
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison de Saumur, located in Saumur (Maine-et-Loire), 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
- Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.2590, -0.0738
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109335
In the heart of Saumur, this 17th-century residence epitomises the sober elegance of the middle-class dwelling of the Loire Valley, with its tufa stone facades and sculpted details typical of classical Anjou architecture.
History
Nestling in the urban fabric of Saumur, this 17th-century house is a precious testimony to bourgeois civil architecture as it flourished in the Loire Valley during the Classical Age. Far from the splendour of the royal châteaux for which the region is famous, it embodies another form of excellence: that of a merchant's or notable's home, where the sobriety of the façade often conceals a remarkable wealth of interior features. The choice of tuffeau, the white limestone quarried from the troglodytic cliffs of the Loire Valley, gives the building the soft luminosity so characteristic of Loire architecture. Easy to cut, the tufa stone allows local craftsmen to display their skills in the window surrounds, moulded cornices and embossed portals that punctuate the façade. The house is part of a long tradition of construction in the Saumur region that builders have been perpetuating since the Renaissance. Its listing as a Historic Monument in 1963 is official recognition of its heritage value. This protection guarantees the preservation of a representative example of the domestic architecture of the Grand Siècle in Anjou, at a time when Saumur enjoyed prosperity linked to the wine trade, craft activities and the presence of a large Protestant community. To visit this residence is to plunge into the intimacy of provincial bourgeois life in the 17th century, far removed from the codes of representation imposed by Versailles. The human scale of the building, its measured proportions and the quality of its architectural details make it an object of study and admiration for those who know how to look at the nuances of the stone and the geometry of the openings. The setting in the Saumur region adds to the charm of the place: the town, dominated by its medieval castle and crossed by the Loire, offers a first-rate backdrop for anyone wishing to understand how the architectural identity of classical Anjou was built, stone by stone.
Architecture
The architecture of this 17th-century house in the Saumur region is in the tradition of the classic Loire dwelling, characterised by the almost exclusive use of tuffeau, the white limestone quarried in the Loire Valley. Light, easy to carve and excellent for thermal insulation, it gives the façades the luminous ivory hue that distinguishes Anjou architecture. The walls are punctuated by windows with moulded frames, probably organised in regular bays according to the principles of symmetry dear to French classicism of the Grand Siècle. The roof, probably covered with blue slate in the Loire tradition, has a steep gable slope, topped with carefully aligned tufa stone chimney stacks. The composition of the facade follows the rules of classical ordering: a soberly treated base, a main body pierced with mullioned or small-timbered windows, and a moulded cornice marking the separation from the attic. The entrance portal, an essential feature of 17th-century bourgeois homes, is probably framed by pilasters or sculpted bosses, reflecting the period's taste for restrained but assertive architectural decoration. The interior, organised around a tufa or carved wooden staircase with returns, distributes the rooms according to a functional logic typical of homes from this period: a lower hall and kitchen on the ground floor, reception rooms and bedrooms upstairs. Fireplaces with straight mantels or crossettes, ceilings with exposed beams and joists, and terracotta tiles are typical interior features of 17th-century homes in Anjou.
Related Figures
Philippe Duplessis-Mornay — gouverneur protestant de Saumur, fondateur de l'Académie en 1599, figure tutélaire du Saumur intellectuel du début du XVIIe siècleProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques au XIXe siècle, dont l'action a initié la protection du patrimoine civil en FranceHenri IV — dont l'édit de Nantes (1598) a créé les conditions de la prospérité saumuroise qui a permis la construction de tels logis bourgeoisLouis XIV — dont la révocation de l'édit de Nantes (1685) a bouleversé l'économie locale et probablement modifié la destinée de la demeureAndré Félibien — théoricien de l'architecture classique française contemporain de la construction, dont les préceptes influencèrent les bâtisseurs provinciaux du XVIIe siècle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison de Saumur located?
Maison de Saumur is located in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Maison de Saumur built?
Maison de Saumur dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison de Saumur open to visitors?
Maison de Saumur is currently closed to visitors.