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Origin and history

The Château de la Folaine, also known as Château de la Follaine, is a Renaissance mansion built in the 15th century near Azay-sur-Indre, in Indre-et-Loire. This private monument, inscribed in historical monuments since 14 September 1949, is distinguished by its architecture combining a medieval cylindrical tower with perpendicular wings. It does not visit, preserving its intimate character on a hilltop overlooking the valley of the Indrois, near its confluence with Indre.

In the 15th century, the Folaine was a fief dependent on the chapter of Loches, before becoming a Viscount in 1586. The mansion had a succession of influential owners, including royal captains, squireers, and royal or Queen of Navarre hotel masters. Among them, Cardonne's family marked local history to the point of temporarily giving Azay-sur-Indre the name of Azay-le-Cardonne. In 1789, the castle was jointly owned by the Marquis de La Fayette and his cousin, the Marquis de Lusignan, before being confiscated as national property during the Revolution and sold to Pierre Suzor.

The building, composed of two wings on one floor, bears traces of restorations, as evidenced by a door dated 1648. A scallop remains in the east, while a 15th century cylindrical tower, pierced by murderers, flanks the south facade. The old chapel, transformed into a barn, and the modernized rubbish windows illustrate the successive adaptations of the building. A local legend attributed the name Folaine to a child who had gone mad after seeing a 13th century murder, nicknamed "the little follaine".

After an abandonment in the 1960s, the mansion was restored from 1975 by its owners. Although closed to the public, it embodies the architectural and seigneurial heritage of the Touraine, between medieval and Renaissance history. Its inscription in historical monuments underscores its heritage value, despite unsuccessful attempts to establish sericulture there after the Revolution.

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