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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château of Chavigny, located in Lerné (Indre-et-Loire), finds its origins in the Middle Ages as a fief depending on the royal castle of Loudun. Built in chestnut in 1520, it belonged to the Maumoine and Le Roy families, before being ravaged by the Huguenots in 1568. François Le Roy, the last direct heir, rebuilt it around 1600 after decades of abandonment.

In 1634, the estate was acquired by Claude Bouthillier, Superintendent of Finance of Louis XIII and near Richelieu. The latter entrusted architect Pierre Le Muet with an ambitious reconstruction (1637-1647), incorporating raised Renaissance galleries and new wings. The castle, a symbol of the Bouthillier's financial and political power, was erected as a county in 1639.

After a century and a half under the Bouthillier family, the castle was sold in 1774 to Marie Caillaud, widow of a colonial magistrate. Abandoned after the Revolution, he was dismantled in 1839-1840 by Charles Desmée de Chauvigny, who reused his materials to build a more modest home. Today, only the chapel, its staircase, the entrance gate, and the remains of the ditches and platforms, protected since 1989-1996 remain.

The history of Chavigny reflects the religious upheavals (wars of Religion), political (ascension of Richelieu) and economic (land speculation) that marked the Touraine between the 16th and 19th centuries. Its architecture, documented by the engravings of Le Muet, bears witness to the transition between Renaissance and French classicism.

The successive protections (classifications of 1989, 1995 and 1996) concern the remains of the castle, the attire farm, and remaining elements such as the chapel or gate. These measures highlight the heritage importance of a site where seigneurial memory, architectural innovation and national history intersect.

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