Castle of Troussay

The castle of Troussay is a Loire ch4ateau, one of smallest, located at Cheverny, in the Loir-et-Cher.

History

If the first stone of the Gentilhommière were posed towards 1450, its actual position dates, for the oldest parts, of the rebirth, moment or Robert de Bugy, controller of the attics with salt of the area of Blois and rider of the king François {{Ier}} were lord of the place.

At the 17th century, the domain is increased, equipped with commun runs and two wings, while develops, to the back, a splendid formal garden. It is in 1732 that, for the first time, the building changes owners: the last young lady of Bugy sells the castle with the family Pelluys, notaries blésois. Passer by of hand in hand to the wire of time and the heritages, Troussay arrives finally, in 1828, in those of Louis of Saussaye, historian of the Loire ch4ateau, member of the Institute, vice-chancellor of the academies of Lyon and Poitiers… This large scholar, very with the fact of the problems of conservation and safeguard of the inheritance from his friendship with Prosper Mérimée and Felix Duban, entirely restores the field, fallen, according to his clean dires “extremely with the abandonment”.

After its death, in 1900, the castle is sold one second time ascending to owners current, eager not to move away from the Château of Cheverny, whose owners were - and are always - same family.

Description

Frontage François Ier

The frontage François 1st, as his name indicates it, is strongly marked by the style associated with the manufacturer with Chambord. Thus, in the central body, one finds incrustations of Ardoise in the chimneys or of the Menau X with the windows. Same turns, though later, since located in the wings of the 17th century, are equipped with pinnacles, reference to Chambord.

If the wing of right-hand side sheltered domestic activities - baker's oven, hay loft, stable with asses - the other was dedicated to the large living room. It is however not that which explains dissymmetry: the wing of left was raised at the 19th century, at the time of the restoration, contrary to the wing of right-hand side.

Several sculptures decorate the frontage. One finds first of all, on each side of the door, two capitals, one coming from the castle of Bury, fact to the Rebirth and brought to Troussay by Louis of Saussaye; the other, realized at the 19th century by the sculptor Lafargue to make during with the first. With the top of the door, a small stone Virgin, counterpart of a Virgin out of wooden of the 15th century preserved at the castle of Cheverny. A small profile of woman of the Italian Rebirth was encrusted on the left wing at the time of the restoration.

One also notes the presence of a sundial, on the lathe of right-hand side, surrounded by a Latin inscription: Ultimam time, flees will hora, carp diem , namely “fear the last hour, time flees, picking the day present”. In opposite, a single needle clock.

Frontage Louis XII

The other frontage is marked by the style Louis XII, mixture between the end of the Gothic and the beginning of the Rebirth. Stone pediments of the attic windows and bases of windows with Plis of towel remain thus still completely Gothic. More the good example of this mixture is on the door of the tower, old principal door of the castle moved since the frontage François Ier by Louis of Saussaye because of his small size. One finds at the same time folds of towel there, Gothic reason par excellence, but also, on the stop, a salamander, emblem of François Ist To the top, Louis of Saussaye made engrave, in Greek, this sentence allotted to the general Thémistocle: “Small is the house, but O how much happy, so of friends it is filled. ”

Because the tower in it even date of the 19th century; realized on the model of the tower of the wing Louis XII of the Castle of Blois, she imitates of them in particular the lattices of red and black bricks. With the top of a shell François 1st, small a marmouset commemorates its construction by deploying a streamer on which is written, in Latin, “linked by the friendship, Louis of Saussaye wanted, Jules of Morandière realized”. Other sculptures, older, were encrusted on the lathe, in particular a Porc-épic, emblem of Louis XII, coming from the hotel Hurault de Cheverny, of Blois, and two characters of Sottie S, the pope of the fols and the insane mother.

Interior

The castle being deprived and being inhabited, only six parts at the ground floor are opened with the visit:

the dining room
the hall
the living room of music, or Louis living room of Saussaye
the small living room
the oval living room
the oratory

One first of all notes the presence of a red and yellow tiling of time Louis XII, which covered the entirety of the ground floor formerly and was removed only in the oval living room, at the time of his restoration.
The ceilings are as for them of a variable interest: in the dining room, the ceiling with the Frenchwoman is inspired by the example of the wing François Ier of the castle of Blois, while in the living room of music, it is about a reconstitution of one of the old ceilings of the castle. The hall as for him was arched on the model of the castle of Blois, but paintings of the ceiling to Italian of the small living room are undoubtedly most remarkable. Allotted to Jean Mosnier, painter solognot of the 17th century known for the room of the king with Cheverny and the gallery of the portraits to the castle of Beauregard, they come from a country house with Fosse, and were to decorate the castle of Pit. Found at the 19th century by Louis of Saussaye, they were brought to Troussay and represent a saraband of loves, painted in greyness.

One could also quote, from the point of view of the interior architecture, a chimney, in the dining room, which dates from the reign of François Ier and preserved its colors of origin. It contains the bust of Jean de Morvilliers, ecclesiastical blésois pertaining to the family of Louis of Saussaye, under which one to read little, in Latin “in vain does not contemplate the effigy of Jean de Morvilliers, but rather seeks to be the imitator of if great man. ”.

The castle is entirely furnished by a furniture with times, styles and origins very different, since XVe until the XIXe century, of Holland to Portugal. The most remarkable pieces of furniture are perhaps a large cupboard of Strasbourg gone back to 1700, or a cabinet Louis XIII with the marquetry of flowers of jasmines.
Mais the most remarkable part is without any doubt the door of the vault in solid oak, which comes from the castle from Bury and date of the French rebirth. Entirely carved, one finds there, in particular, represented a certain number of elements of the passion of Christ on one of the pilasters.

The park

Old Garden with the Frenchwoman, completely abandoned at the 18th century, the park of the castle has, like this last, known a new birth at the 19th century thanks to the efforts of Louis of Saussaye. Currently, only a ditch, vestige of the old water level, and two small houses point out the old garden. One finds nevertheless trees multiséculaires there, like a cedar of Lebanon planted with the 18th century, sequoias of America or an immense blue cedar.

The museum of the Sologne and the exposure on the servants

Troussay has, in addition to the aspect manor rebirth, a second center of interest: that of the solognot field, cultivated until the middle of the 20th century by a community living almost completely in autarky. The two commun runs made it possible to place the personnel of farm and the animals (pigs, bovines, horses, asses), like storing the reserves of food and manufacturing wine, bread… Nowadays, a museum of the Sologne, rich person of many agricultural elements and daily life of the 19th century, and even of the screw pitch of the press used at the 16th century, recalls this aspect of the life to Troussay.

A permanent exposure on domesticity to the 19th century, with documents of time, delivered, saynètes also has course in the commun runs.

Anecdotes

One finds in the main courtyard, in front of the frontage François Ier, a houx of more than five hundred years, planted there according to the tradition solognote to move away from his prickles the bad fate.

See too

Cheverny and the Castle of Cheverny

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