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Origin and history

The Château de Boumois, located in Saint-Martin-de-la-Place near Saumur in Maine-et-Loire, finds its origins in the 13th century with a first fortress destroyed during the Hundred Years War. The remains of this primitive castle, located on an island of the Loire, disappeared definitively in the 18th century during a flood. The present castle was erected at the beginning of the 16th century, between 1520 and 1530, for René de Thory and his wife Anne Assé, on a site protected by the rise of the Loire.

The construction began in 1520 with the house and south wing of the communes, followed in 1521 by the vaults of the kitchen and pantry, carried out by master mason Jean Pymotz. In 1524, a contract was made to erect the north wing, the chapel Sainte-Anne (consecrated in 1546), a dovecote, and a wall of 500 toises around the garden. The chapel's stained glass windows, sold in 1895, are now preserved at Bob Jones University in South Carolina. They represented René de Thory and his first wife, Françoise du Plessis-Richelieu, and were attributed to the painter-glass Balthazar Godon.

During the Wars of Religion (circa 1560-1570), the castle was strengthened by two earth bastions at the eastern angles of moat. At the hinge of the 16th and 17th centuries, the entrance gate was replaced by a model inspired by Italian architect Serlio, flanked by two scauguettes. The estate changed hands several times: sold in 1607 by the Thory to François de Peyrat, then in 1613 to René Gaultier, attorney general of the king. In the 18th century, it became the property of the Aubert Du Petit-Thouars family, which made it a principal residence.

The castle suffered major destruction: the south wing was razed in 1859, and a bomb severely damaged the house in 1944, blowing roofs and frames. Ranked Historic Monument in 1953 for its moat, enclosure, tiled floor and original dove, it was restored for 30 years from 1965 by Michel Grillault Laroche. The latter found the castle in ruins, with trees growing in the rooms and no modern conveniences. The restoration was aimed at regaining its original appearance, including the stone dismantling and winding of the round road.

Architecturally, Boumois illustrates the transition between late Gothic and Renaissance, visible in its twisted columns and 16th century decorations. The house, at the back of the courtyard, consists of two rooms per floor, a corner tower, and four small vaulted rooms between the chapel and the house. The communes housed stables, cellars, and a press. Despite the modifications (destruction of the south wing, replacement of the stained glass windows), the castle retains remarkable elements such as its dovecote and moats, witnesses to its defensive and seigneurial past.

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