Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château de Frau is a gentilhommière built mainly in the 16th century, although its origins date back to the 15th century. Located in Thizay in Indre-et-Loire, this monument illustrates Renaissance residential architecture, with a rectangular building preceded by an outbuilding and a turret flanking the southern facade. A square pavilion, extended by a tower on foot, dominates the valley, while a bell tower chapel completes the whole. Inside, a straight "Italian" staircase, decorated with twin arcades, bears witness to the artistic influence of the period.

The structure underwent later modifications, such as the support of the gallery originally in corbellation by three arcades added at the end of the seventeenth century. Ranked a Historic Monument since 18 October 1971 for its facades and roofs, the castle retains an interior decoration partially dated from the 16th century, although the house itself dates back to the first quarter of the 17th century. Today private property, its condition reflects both its past use of seigneurial residence and subsequent adaptations.

The site is part of a landscape marked by the valley, with defensive elements such as the peak foothill, typical of local constructions combining comfort and protection. The presence of an integrated chapel underlines the social and religious role of these houses, often linked to noble or bourgeois families in the region. The available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) confirm its registration to the heritage without specifying the historical owners or the related milestones.

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