Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Autry Castle, located in Méreau in the Cher department, is an architectural complex whose origins date back to at least the sixteenth century. Its current buildings, remodeled in the 18th and 19th centuries, reflect successive changes. The main building, rectangular, is flanked by circular and square turrets, while two rooms of water surround the access hall, separating the court of honor from the operating court. These elements, as well as dependencies such as the dairy or dovecote, testify to its functional and aesthetic evolution.

Since 1380, the seigneury of Autry has been linked to the family of Etampes thanks to the marriage of Robert II of Etampes with Marguerite Bourles de Beauvilliers in 1448. This marriage incorporated the land of Autry into their heritage for almost four centuries. The castle, inscribed in the Historic Monuments in 1988, preserves notable interior decorations, like four Camaïeu doortops representing the four elements, as well as a chapel and wrought iron gate dating from the 18th century.

The farm buildings, built in the 18th and 19th centuries, complete this complex which combines seigneurial residence and agricultural estate. The layout of courses, basins and outbuildings illustrates a spatial organization typical of the large rural areas of modern times. Today, a private property, the castle of Autry remains a representative example of the castral heritage of the Centre-Val de Loire, combining family history and evolutionary architecture.

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