Château d'Argenson and its outbuildings à Maillé en Indre-et-Loire

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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Argenson, located in Maillé in the department of Indre-et-Loire, is a 17th century monument. It is located in a 100 hectare rectangular enclosure surrounded by walls, comprising two pavilions, a church, a presbytery, a pretoire, the castle itself and a dovecote. The latter, dated 1683, is a 9-metre-diameter cylindrical stone tower, while the pavilions served as stables and quarters for staff. In 1678 a chapel of the Calvary was added to the ensemble.

The castle was originally a fief dependent on Nouâtre Castle. In 1700 it was erected as a chestnut, then as a marquisate in 1718. A parish church was built in 1667 at the site of an old seigneurial chapel. The central house body of the castle is extended by two symmetrical wings, although a building planned in the east had never been completed. The whole, including its outbuildings, was inscribed in historical monuments by order of 21 October 1947.

The church, of classical style, has a facade crowned with a pediment. The presbytery is behind it, while the prestory, a small arcade building, completes the whole. The two pavilions, originally dedicated to staff and stables, as well as the dovecote, bear witness to the functional organization of the estate. Despite its unfinished status, the castle of Argenson illustrates the architecture and seigneurial organization of the seventeenth century in Touraine.

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