Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Détilly, located in the eponymous hamlet of Beaumont-en-Veron (Indre-et-Loire), finds its origins on the site of a Carolingian villa named Destilliacus in the 10th century. The seigneury was transformed into a royal chestnut, due to its proximity to Chinon, and was ceded by the archbishop of Tours, Joseph II, to Gombaud, the first certified seigneur. The estate then passed to the families of Brizay (circa 1200), Valori (1466), then Adam de Hodon and Beaudouin de Champagne in 1555, before being recovered by Philippe de Valori in 1560 via the right of withdrawal lineager. Valori's family kept it until the 18th century.

In 1562, Count Gabriel I of Montgomery, Protestant leader, stormed the castle during the wars of Religion, looted it and incendia, massacring more than 400 people, including children of the Lord of Chinon. The ruins were rebuilt to give the castle its present form, with a monumental stone gate classified in 1949. This arch, decorated with coats of arms hammered during the Revolution, symbolizes the tormented history of the site. The chapel, dedicated to Saint Mark and Notre-Dame de Pitié, dates from the 13th century but was redesigned in the 15th and 16th centuries after serving as a cellar.

In the 17th century, Louis de Valori's marriage with Antoinette Catherine de Voyer of Argenson in 1667 led to major transformations. The castle changed hands several times: bought in 1807 by Jean Nivelleau, then by the Baroness of Saint-Hilaire in 1819. In the 20th century, it was owned by Alfred Sirven (involving in the Elf case) before being sold in 2001 to an Anglo-American couple, then to a Franco-Australian couple in 2020, who now operate bed and breakfast.

The chapel, initially an oratory founded in 1135 by Robert de Pocé and consecrated by Archbishop Hugues d'Etampes, presents a simple nave with a structure rebuilt in the sixteenth century. Its broken arch windows and front door testify to its medieval architecture. The square pavilion to the south, probably recovered from the fire of 1562, was restored during the reconstruction. The commons, contemporaries of the 17th century castle, complete the whole.

Partly classified as historical monuments since 1949 for its entrance door, the Château de Détilly illustrates the architectural and political changes of the Touraine, between royal power, religious conflicts and seigneurial inheritances. Its recent history, marked by controversial owners and a current tourism vocation, makes it both a heritage and a living place.

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