Château du Périneau-Verrières
CastleHidden Treasure
Château du Périneau-Verrières, located in Trélazé (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
- Trélazé, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.4629, -0.4616
- Mérimée Reference
- PA49000041
Élégante demeure néoclassique érigée en 1784 par Bardoul, élève de Gabriel, le Château du Périneau-Verrières déploie à Trélazé son plan classique entre cour d'honneur et jardin romantique savamment recomposé.
History
Nestling on the outskirts of Angers, in the commune of Trélazé renowned for its slate quarries, the Périneau-Verrières residence is one of the most eloquent examples of late 18th-century resort architecture in Anjou. Built in 1784 by an architect trained in the school of the great Gabriel, it embodies with sobriety and refinement the ideals of French classicism in its twilight years, before the Revolution overturned the old order. What really sets Périneau-Verrières apart is the intact legibility of its original layout: the house unfolds according to the canonical "courtyard and garden" layout inherited from Parisian town houses and adapted here to the scale of a bourgeois country house. The main courtyard, open to the outside world, contrasts with the formal garden, a space of retreat and representation, which runs alongside it to the rear. This ordered duality is the sign of a strong architectural culture. Over the course of the 19th century, the estate underwent a significant transformation of its exteriors: the formal garden, in the Romantic style of the second half of the century, was redesigned as an English garden. Undulating lawns, solitary trees of remarkable species, winding paths that gracefully contradict the rigour of the facades - this landscaped park today lends the whole an atmosphere of gentle melancholy, typical of the great residences of Anjou. The attentive visitor will appreciate the creative tension between the strict neoclassical order of the residence and the organic freedom of the English garden that surrounds it. Two philosophies of relationship with nature, two centuries of taste, coexist here in a peaceful dialogue that adds to the charm of the place. Listed as a Historic Monument since 2003, Périneau-Verrières enjoys a well-deserved protection that guarantees the longevity of this rare testimony to the French art of living.
Architecture
Château du Périneau-Verrières belongs to the neoclassical style of late 18th-century provincial architecture, directly influenced by the great Parisian and Versailles models of the Gabriel school. The facade of the house is sober and balanced, typical of late classicism: regularly spaced bays, a clearly visible hierarchy of levels, and ornamentation that is restrained in favour of purity of line. In all likelihood, local materials - white Anjou tuffeau for the frames and quoins, Trélazé slate for the roofs - were used, giving the building its typically Anjou palette of colours, ranging from luminous white to deep grey-blue. The main architectural interest lies in the fact that the original layout has been preserved: the "courtyard and garden" layout centres around the main building, flanked by its outbuildings and preceded by an enclosed courtyard. This layout, codified by the theoreticians of the Grand Siècle and popularised by 18th-century architects, organises circulation and use according to a perfectly hierarchical logic of representation and intimacy. The interiors are likely to have retained the wood panelling, fireplaces and enfilade layouts characteristic of the Louis XVI taste. The English-style parkland that surrounds the residence today, the result of 19th-century remodelling, contrasts with the architecture: the geometric rigour of the facades is matched by the picturesque freedom of the vegetation, any pools of water and curving paths. Some vestiges of the original formal garden - terrace, axis of symmetry, perspective - probably remain as a reminder of Bardoul's original design.
Related Figures
Bardoul — architecte angevin, élève d'Ange-Jacques Gabriel, concepteur et premier propriétaire de la demeure (1784)Ange-Jacques Gabriel — maître de Bardoul, Premier Architecte du Roi, inspirateur du style de l'édificeLouis XV — souverain sous le règne duquel Gabriel et ses élèves définirent le classicisme français tardifPropriétaires du XIXe siècle — commanditaires du remaniement du parc en jardin à l'anglaise (identités non documentées)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château du Périneau-Verrières located?
Château du Périneau-Verrières is located in Trélazé, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Château du Périneau-Verrières built?
Château du Périneau-Verrières dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château du Périneau-Verrières open to visitors?
Château du Périneau-Verrières is currently closed to visitors.
