Azay-le-Ferron Castle
The Azay-le-Ferron is part of the French community Azay-le-Ferron in Indre in the region Center-Val de Loire . A castle from the 15th century was the origin for the castle built in the 17th century , which was renovated in the 19th and 20th centuries. The complex includes a landscape park , a French-style garden and shaped yew trees . The owner is the city of Tours .
The castle stands together with the associated Castle Park January 25, 1950 as a monument historique under monument protection .
history
The original castle was built by Prégent Frotier in the late fifteenth century on an area that belonged to Nicolas Turpin de Crissé in the 13th century and was part of the Preuilly barony from 1412 . One of the old towers from 1496 is still there and was integrated into the 17th century complex.
In 1560 the castle came to the family of Louis I de Cravant and remained in their possession until the end of the 17th century. Over the decades, the owners included: César de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme , son of King Henry IV and his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées , who became Baron of Preuilly by royal decree , and Louis IV de Crevant, a marshal In the army of Louis XIV. in 1638 the pavilion Franz I with its two wings was built. In order to emphasize the homely character, a few windows were also added to the walls of the old tower. The new buildings are decorated with the salamander of King Francis I and the ermine of Claude de France .
In 1699 the barony was bought by Louis-Nicolas Le Tonnelier de Breteuil. His daughter, Gabrielle-Emilie, was Voltaire's lover from 1733 to 1737 . The Breteuil family may have added the east wing that bears their coat of arms. In 1739 the castle was sold to Louis François de Gallifet, who was followed by a number of owners until the French Revolution . After that, the castle was owned by two prominent arms manufacturers and finally came into the possession of Victor and Antoine Luzarche in 1852. Their descendants lived on the property until the beginning of the 20th century.
The last heiress bequeathed the property to the city of Tours. The palace and park are open to visitors. The interior includes furniture, art objects and tapestries from the 15th to 19th centuries.
Park and gardens
The original park was created in the 17th century and had an area of 50 hectares . The landscape park comprised ten hectares, the rest was called "Parc Agricole" and was probably used for growing fruit and vegetables. Some parts of this early garden are still in place.
In 1856, Antoine Luzarche had a French landscape garden laid out on an area of 18 hectares, with views, avenues and bosquets . The new park also had an arboretum of exotic trees such as California sequoias . In 1920 a formal garden "à la française" with broderies and topiaries was added.
In 1995, the Université Françoise Rabelais , Tours, planted an orchard with pear trees and apple trees in part of the park. From 1999, espalier fruit was grown along the walls of the house , along with vines from 40 grape varieties . In 2003 a rose garden with 168 rose bushes was added, and in 2008 a path that illustrates the development of the rose from Roman times to the present day.
Individual evidence
- ^ Castle Azay-le-Ferron in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French), accessed on July 20, 2009.
- ^ Véronique Moreau: Le Château d'Azay-le-Ferron , p. 4.
- ↑ Véronique Moreau: Le Château d'Azay-le-Ferron , p. 6.
- ↑ Véronique Moreau: Le Château d'Azay-le-Ferron , p. 8.
- ↑ Véronique Moreau: Le Château d'Azay-le-Ferron , p. 9.
literature
- Jean-Pierre Babelon: Châteaux de France au siècle de la Renaissance . Flammarion, Paris 1989, ISBN 2-08-012062-X , pp. 605-606 .
- Véronique Moreau, Jeane Rejasse, Jean-Pierre Couturier: Le Château d'Azay-le-Ferron . MG Editions, Sandillon 2008.
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 51 ′ 4 " N , 1 ° 4 ′ 12" E