Building construction 1567 (≈ 1567)
Rectangular building with Renaissance windows.
1572
Construction of the chapel
Construction of the chapel 1572 (≈ 1572)
Chapel integrated into the fortified domain.
XVIe siècle
Entrance door and pole towers
Entrance door and pole towers XVIe siècle (≈ 1650)
Defensive elements dated from this period.
XVIIIe siècle
Construction of housing
Construction of housing XVIIIe siècle (≈ 1850)
Addition of the current main building.
milieu du XIXe siècle
Added input porch
Added input porch milieu du XIXe siècle (≈ 1950)
Subsequent modification of entry.
1982
Historic Monument Protection
Historic Monument Protection 1982 (≈ 1982)
Registration by ministerial decree.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Façades and roofs of the entrance poterne, the East Tower, the West Tower, the house body, the 16s building, the chapel; moat (cad. O 6, 7): registration by order of 22 June 1982
Origin and history
The Château de la Touche-Hersant, located in Saint-Denis-Lanneray (Eure-et-Loir), is a historical monument dating back to the 16th and 18th centuries. The architectural complex consists of an 18th century house body, a building dated 1567, and a chapel built in 1572. These elements are surrounded by moat and reinforced by two corner towers as well as a poterne, testifying to its defensive past. The entrance door, framed by the poternic towers, seems to date back to the 16th century, when the isolated, rectangular building with murderers could have played a role in the wars of Religion.
The 16th-century building, with its Renaissance windows in the middle of a wall topped by frontons, could have had a religious or defensive vocation. Its architecture, marked by murderers under the roof, suggests an adaptation to the conflicts of the time. The main house body, extended by two wings, was later completed by a entrance porch probably added in the 19th century. The whole, partially protected since 1982, includes facades, roofs, and moats, reflecting its evolution between military function and seigneurial residence.
The elements protected by the 1982 decree include the façades and roofs of the poterne, the East and West Towers, the house body, the 16th century building, and the chapel. Although the visits are limited to the outside, the castle opens its doors to specific periods of the year, allowing to admire this architectural heritage combining Renaissance and subsequent modifications.
