Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

Château de Clermont au Cellier au Cellier en Loire-Atlantique

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château de style Louis XIII

Château de Clermont au Cellier

    Le Bourg
    44850 Le Cellier
Private property
Château de Clermont au Cellier
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Château de Clermont au Cellier 
Crédit photo : Jibi44 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
800
900
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
845
Destruction of the monastery of Mont-Clair
1643-1649
Construction of the current castle
1711
End of line Chenu
1941
Historical monument classification
1967
Purchased by Louis de Funès
2005
Transformation into housing
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The castle: inscription by decree of 14 November 1941

Key figures

René Chenu - Lord of Lendormière and builder Built the castle between 1643-1649.
Hardy Chenu - Governor of the fortifications of Brittany Heir and successor to René Chenu.
Louis de Funès - Actor and owner (1967)-1983 Restored the estate and lived there.
Henri Baillardel de Lareinty - Baron and Senator Owner in 1861 before resale.
Marie Barthélémy - Last heiress Nau de Maupassant Aunt Jeanne de Funès.
Louis Marie Juchault des Jamonières - Baron d'Empire and restorer Recaptured the castle after 1814.

Origin and history

The castle of Clermont, located at the Cellier in the Loire-Atlantique, was built between 1643 and 1649 by René Chenu, lord of Lendormière, on the site of an old monastery destroyed in 845. This castle reflects Louis XIII architecture, with its brick and stone facades, slate roofs and central pavilion. It was conceived after the victory of Rocroy (1643), symbol of French military glory under Louis XIV.

The Chenu family, vassal of the princes of Condé, kept the estate for two centuries. René Chenu, a gentleman of the King's House, died there in 1672. His descendants, including Hardy Chenu and François Chenu, perpetuated the line until 1711, when the property passed by marriage to the families Nicolas de Claye and then La Bourdonnaye. During the Revolution, the castle was sequestered before being returned to the Juchault des Jamonières family in 1814.

In the 19th century, the castle changed hands several times, passing from Nau de Maupassant (1860-1963) to Louis de Funès in 1967. The actor lived there until his death in 1983, restoring the estate and developing a rose garden. After its sale in 1986 to ADAH, an association for disabled people, the castle was transformed into housing in 2005. Between 2014 and 2016, its orangery housed a museum dedicated to Louis de Funès.

Ranked a historic monument in 1941, Clermont Castle combines a preserved architectural heritage (30 rooms, 365 windows, 17th century chapel) and a history marked by local and national figures. Its 3-hectare park and 17 hectares of vineyards dominate the Loire, offering a panorama of the Maguges and the Muscadet vineyards. The building illustrates the transition between the fortified 16th century castles and the 17th century residences.

The architecture of the castle mixes traditional elements (tourelles, mâchicoulis) with innovations of the period (Italianized wings, reception pavilions). The southern façade, unchanged since the 17th century, is represented in the Gaignières collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The chapel, equipped with an original altarpiece, and the 19th century barn complete this historical complex, a witness to the social and cultural developments of the region.

External links