Mention of a feudal moth début XVe siècle (≈ 1504)
Presence of a probably built moth
1548
Completion of the castle
Completion of the castle 1548 (≈ 1548)
For Renée Chaudrier and René des Roches
2e quart XVIe siècle
Construction of the current castle
Construction of the current castle 2e quart XVIe siècle (≈ 1637)
Edited by Guillaume des Roches
vers 1828
Destruction of the drawbridge
Destruction of the drawbridge vers 1828 (≈ 1828)
With a gallery near the entrance
19 février 1971
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 19 février 1971 (≈ 1971)
Protection of facades, roofs and moats
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofs of the castle and chapel; moat with their deck; facades and roofs of the communes (including the entrance door) and the dovecote (cad. A 551, 552): entry by order of 19 February 1971
Key figures
Guillaume des Roches - Builder and Supervisor
Head of work for Chambord
Renée Chaudrier - Sponsor in 1548
Aunt of the poet Ronsard
René des Roches - Husband of Renée Chaudrier
Co-commander of the castle
Origin and history
The Morinière Castle was built in the 2nd quarter of the 16th century at the site of an ancient feudal building. It was erected by Guillaume des Roches, responsible for the supervision of the works of Chambord Castle. The main house body, made of bricks and stones, has sling windows with Renaissance capitals, while a square lantern surmounted by a campanile adorned with a girouette dolphin dominates the roof. On the right, a second house body bears the distinctive features of the reign of Louis XII. The whole is lined with moat and accessible by a foreyard bordered by commons.
Around 1828, the drawbridge and a gallery near the entrance were destroyed, partially changing the original appearance. The castle also includes a chapel located in the southeast corner of the enclosure, as well as an outdoor dovecote of 1,600 squares, accessible by a rotating ladder. A motte, mentioned at the beginning of the 15th century, precedes the present building, completed in 1548 for Renée Chaudrier (aunt of poet Ronsard) and her husband René des Roches. A lock in the chapel, dated the same year, bears witness to this period.
The monument has been partially protected since 1971: its facades, roofs, moats, commons and dovecote are inscribed in the Historical Monuments. The site, although marked by transformations, preserves major architectural elements of the Renaissance, such as the shingles or the campanile, reflecting the prestige of its sponsors and their connection to the royal court of the time.
