Restes de l'ancien manoir de Cluis-Dessus
ManorHidden Treasure
Restes de l'ancien manoir de Cluis-Dessus, located in Cluis (Indre), 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
- Cluis, Indre, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 46.5440, 1.7503
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097330
Nestling in deep Berry, this medieval manor house in Cluis-Dessus boasts a Gothic turret staircase and 17th-century interiors adorned with paintings in the spirit of Poussin and panelling painted with arabesques of rare elegance.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Perched on the heights of Cluis, a small town in the Indre department marked by its medieval remains, the manor house of Cluis-Dessus is one of those secret places that rural France hides in its forgotten folds. Far from being a picture-postcard châteaux, this manor house reveals a fascinating layering of time: flamboyant Gothic and classical art from the Grand Siècle stand side by side in unexpected harmony, bearing witness to two centuries of attachment to its walls by the same lineage. What sets Cluis-Dessus apart from many Berrichon manor houses of the same period is the exceptional quality of its interior decor. Where most rural manor houses have suffered the ravages of time and successive revolutions, several rooms in the manor house have preserved their 17th-century painted wood panelling and ceilings, adorned with scrolls and arabesques, veritable masterpieces of provincial craftsmanship. The Poussinist-inspired paintings above the doors and fireplaces give the rooms an almost museum-like feel. The experience of visiting the house is one of intimate discovery, quite different from that of the signposted tourist circuits. You get a glimpse of the daily life of a provincial nobility anxious to maintain its rank and refinement, commissioning local artists to create works inspired by the great Parisian and Roman masters. The tapestries that adorn some of the walls accentuate the impression of an aristocratic cabinet of curiosities, suspended in time. The bucolic setting of the surrounding Berry region - bocage, soft meadows and an immense sky - reinforces the feeling of timeless isolation that envelops visitors from the moment they approach. The exterior architectural remains, dominated by the staircase turret with its bracketed gateway, form a sober but noble silhouette on the Berry plateau, inviting contemplation as much as exploration.
Architecture
The architecture of the manor house at Cluis-Dessus faithfully reflects its dual nature, the result of two construction campaigns separated by two centuries. The main feature of the 15th-century construction is the turreted staircase, a key element in the medieval composition of the dwelling. Its braced doorway - an arch whose two branches curve into an S shape before meeting at the top - is a perfect example of the flamboyant Gothic vocabulary that Berry stonemasons of the time mastered to perfection. The turret, which is probably polygonal, linked the vertical passageways of the original manor house. The façades, which were almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century, adopt a more sober architectural style, typical of provincial manor houses built during the reign of Louis XIII or the first decades of the reign of Louis XIV: regular bays, bays with stone crossbeams or straight lintels and moulded cornices. Local materials - limestone from Berry, slate from the region for the roofs - give the building its characteristic grey and golden hue, typical of the domestic architecture of the Indre region. The interior is the real architectural treasure trove of the building. Several rooms have retained their painted joist ceilings and wooden panelling, decorated with arabesques and foliage in monochrome or polychrome. Overdoors and mantelpieces feature Poussinist-inspired figurative compositions - inhabited landscapes, mythological or allegorical scenes - testifying to an ambitious and coherent decorative programme. Tapestries, probably Flemish or Aubusson, completed this prestigious scheme, transforming the main rooms into veritable tableaux d'apparat à la française.
Related Figures
Famille seigneuriale locale du XVe siècle (commanditaires de la construction d'origine, non identifiés avec certitude)Propriétaire du XVIIe siècle (commanditaire de la grande restauration et des décors peints, vraisemblablement appartenant à la noblesse de robe berrichonne)Nicolas Poussin (peintre dont l'école inspire directement les décors peints des cheminées et supraportes)Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (responsables de l'inscription en 1928 et de la reconnaissance patrimoniale du monument)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Restes de l'ancien manoir de Cluis-Dessus located?
Restes de l'ancien manoir de Cluis-Dessus is located in Cluis, Indre department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Restes de l'ancien manoir de Cluis-Dessus built?
Restes de l'ancien manoir de Cluis-Dessus dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Restes de l'ancien manoir de Cluis-Dessus open to visitors?
Restes de l'ancien manoir de Cluis-Dessus is currently closed to visitors.