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Origin and history

The castle of Saché is a Renaissance house built in the 15th century on the remains of an ancient medieval chestnut tree in the Bouchard Island. It was enlarged in the 17th and 18th centuries, and then profoundly revised in the 19th century by Jean de Margonne, who inherited it in 1812. The latter regularly welcomed Honoré de Balzac between 1825 and 1848, offering the writer a refuge for literary creation, far from Parisian agitation and its creditors. The castle thus became the setting for writing major works like Father Goriot or Le Lys in the valley, inspired by the landscapes of the valley of Indre.

The castle preserves traces of its medieval past, including a cylindrical tower and partial moats. In the 19th century, Jean de Margonne and his wife Anne Savary made it a resort residence, frequented by Balzac, who found it quiet and inspiring. After belonging to several families (Estave, Bodin, Lecoy), the castle was acquired in 1926 by Paul Métadier, who created a museum dedicated to Balzac in 1951, with the support of his son Bernard-Paul. The latter reconstructed sets inspired by the novels of the writer, such as the room of Clochegourde or the boudoir of Foedora.

Partially classified as historical monuments in 1932 and 1983, the castle now houses nearly 2,300 pieces (manuscripts, paintings, sculptures) and is labeled Maisons des Illustres and Musée de France. The two-hectare park, where Balzac was walking, offers views of the Indre Valley, the central setting of the Lys in the valley. In 1958, the Métadier family donated it to the Conseil départemental d'Indre-et-Loire, ensuring its preservation and openness to the public.

Balzac, born in Tours in 1799, stayed in Saché on the advice of his doctor to rest from his strenuous Parisian life. The castle, which he nicknamed his "monastery", allowed him to write about ten works by The Human Comedy. His ties with the Margonnes, the owners of the place, date back to his childhood: his mother was with the family, and his brother Henry was perhaps the adulterine son of Jean de Margonne. Balzac's stays in Saché, rhythmic by trictrac parties and walks, were also an escape from his debts.

The museum, inaugurated in 1951 in the presence of writers such as Georges Duhamel, staged the Balzacian universe through fictional interior reconstructions (The Curé of Tours, The Skin of Grief). The collections include rare editions, Rodin sculptures, and annotated manuscripts, such as the corrected essays of Lys in the valley. In 2015, the Conseil départemental renewed the decors of the living and dining room to evoke the atmosphere of the Château de Clochegourde, designed by Balzac.

Accessible by the D17 near Tours, the castle of Saché is 25 minutes southwest of the city, close to Azay-le-Rideau. It illustrates the link between architectural heritage and literature, while preserving the memory of a major 19th century writer, inseparable from the Touraine.

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