Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Chazelet, located in the commune of Chazelet (Indre, Centre-Val de Loire), is a castle surrounded by moat, flanked by five round towers and a square tower. Its origins date back to the 13th century, with the first known lord, Imbert de Gueret, in 1285. It then passed into the hands of the Counts of Brosse, then of the Pot families, of the Tremoil, of Aubusson, Verthamon, of Turpin Crissé and of Douhault between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.

In the middle of the 16th century, François Pot, lord of Chassingrimont, rebuilt the castle. The monument became famous for the case of the Marquise de Douhault, a judicial riddle started during the French Revolution and inspired authors such as Wilkie Collins (La Femme en blanc) and Georges Lenôtre (La Femme sans nom). Alexandre Dumas, fascinated by the place, places there two novels (The Mysterious Doctor and The Daughter of the Marquis) and receives a tapestry representing the woman with unicorn, which he will later offer to Victor Hugo.

In 1875, the castle welcomed a major innovation: the first reinforced concrete bridge in the world, built by Joseph Monier for Count Taupinart de Tilière. This bridge, originally commissioned in metal, marks a technical advance in the history of architecture. The castle, classified as Historical Monument in 1927, thus combines medieval heritage and industrial modernity.

Successive owners, such as the Pots or the Tilière, marked its history, while architects such as Alfred Dauvergne contributed to its modernization in the 19th century. Today, the castle remains a testimony to the architectural evolutions and historical intrigues that animated it.

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