Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  4. Vienne
  5. 86140 Scorbé-Clairvaux

  6. Château de Clairvaux

 Château de Clairvaux à Scorbé-Clairvaux dans la Vienne

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château
Vienne

Château de Clairvaux

    7 Place de Montbron 
    86140 Scorbé-Clairvaux
Photo de Château de Clairvaux
Crédit photo : Pmsef - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1470
Construction begins
1580
Acquisition by René de Villequier
1620
Erection in marquisat
1661
Conclusion of work
1704
Purchase by Étienne Chérade
1929
Historical Monument
1990
Creation of the chess museum
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The castle (except for classified parts): inscription by order of 20 June 1928 - The right part of the house body comprising the kitchen, the corner tower and the surrounding Renaissance buildings; the moat surrounding the second enclosure with the entrance pavilion and the two arched bridge adjacent to it; the entrance gate with its square towers and gables on courtyard: classification by decree of 13 June 1929 - The parts not yet protected: the commons with the pigeon tree and orangery (see AR 176, 177, 182, 515); the pavilions (cad. AR 178); the courtyards of the castle and their soil (situated in part or in whole on plots AR 176 to 178, 515, excluding the courtyard, buildings and appentis built later on the plot AR 182): inscription by order of 21 May 2001

Key figures

Renaud Chabot - Lord of Clairvaux Builder of the castle in the 15th century.
René de Villequier - Governor of Paris, Count of Clairvaux Expands the castle under Henry III.
Philibert Delorme - Architect assigned Suspected author of the Renaissance balcony.
César d'Aumont - Marquis de Clairvaux Builds the estate in marquisat.
Gilles Fouquet - Owner and patron Arrangements stopped by the disgrace.
Étienne Chérade - Acquirer in 1704 Family owner until the 19th century.
Henri III - King of France A frequent stay at the castle.

Origin and history

Clairvaux Castle, located in Scorbé-Clairvaux in Vienna (New Aquitaine), is one of the first examples of Renaissance architecture in Poitou. Built in the early 16th century by Renaud Chabot after a quarrel with Christophe de la Tour Landry, it replaces an ancient medieval castle. The site, close to the fairground, becomes a symbol of local power with a monumental entrance and moat.

In 1580 René de Villequier, governor of Paris and favourite of Henry III, acquired the estate and transformed it into a county. He enlarged the castle, added an adorned portal and a balcony attributed to Philibert Delorme. A room is named after Henry III, who frequently stayed there. Villequier, the first holder of the Order of the Holy Spirit, marks the history of the place by its political influence and sumptuous arrangements.

In the 17th century, César d'Aumont, grandson of Villequier, raised the county in Marquisat under Louis XIII. His daughter Anne d'Aumont married Gilles Fouquet, brother of Superintendent Nicolas Fouquet. Gilles undertook ambitious works: commons, pavilions, park inspired by Le Nôtre, and modification of the poterne. The work stopped brutally after the arrest of Nicolas Fouquet in 1661 and Gilles' exile, who died in 1694 in Pignerol.

In 1704, Étienne Chérade, anoublied in 1693, bought the estate. His grandson Adrien-Etienne Chérade modernized the castle in the 18th century, replacing the drawbridge with a stone bridge and adding a classic house body. The Revolution saved the castle thanks to the engagement of a son Cherade in the revolutionary army, but the coat of arms (including those of Louis XIV) were destroyed. The family retained the estate until 1867.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1929, the castle suffered degradation during World War II, serving as Kommandantur and then as a refugee camp. Purchased and restored, it has been home to the International Chess Game Museum since 1990, with 160 games from 75 countries, including Napoleon I. A permanent exhibition is devoted to Henry III.

The building illustrates the architectural transitions between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as the political upheavals of the 16th–15th centuries. Its park, moats and interior decorations (such as the Delorme balcony) bear witness to its past prestige, while its museum makes it a unique cultural place in France.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum