Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Targé, located 4 km south-east of Châtellerault in Vienna, has its origins in the 12th century. From the medieval castle, today only the foundations of the dungeon, reused to build the bakery, remain. Destroyed in part during the Hundred Years War, it was rebuilt around 1450 by Jeanne de Targé, the last heir of the lineage, and completed by her husband Claude de Norroy. This fortified 15th century castle then included a house body flanked by four towers, only two of which survived subsequent renovations.

Between 1453 and 1760, the estate passed into the hands of three noble families: the de Norroy, the Blanchefort, and the Turpin de Crissé. In 1760 Louis-Nicolas de Pérusse des Cars undertook an ambitious reconstruction, leaving the castle in its current unfinished state. Emigrated during the Revolution, he sold the estate, which changed owners several times in the 19th century. The family of La Poëze d'Harambure owned it from 1844 to 1899, before ceding it to finance the renovation of their other residence, the castle of Yzeures-sur-Creuse.

The facades and roofs of the castle were inscribed in the Historic Monuments in 1972, recognizing its heritage value. Today private property, the castle of Targé bears witness to nearly eight centuries of history, from the remains of the 12th century to the transformations of the Enlightenment. Its hybrid architecture reflects the successive epochs: medieval dungeon, Renaissance home and classical arrangements, in a set marked by the incomplete completion of the 18th century works.

External links