Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Valmer Castle, built between the 16th and 18th centuries near Chançay in Indre-et-Loire, embodies Italian Renaissance architecture. Its terraced Italian gardens, listed as historic monuments in 1930 and labeled "Remarkable Garden" in 2004, extend over 60 hectares in the Brenne Valley. The estate, originally owned by noble families such as the Binets or the Vallières, was thoroughly renovated in the seventeenth century by Thomas Bonneau, who added terraces, commons and a troglodytic chapel.

Construction began around 1520 under Jean Binet, including a chapel dug into the rock. The castle was looted by the Protestants in 1562, then passed into the hands of figures such as Claude Coustely or Jean de La Baume Le Blanc, grandfather of Louise de La Vallière. Thomas Bonneau, Louis XIII's advisor, acquired the estate in 1640 and added baroque elements, including the high terrace and the Petit Valmer pavilion. The gardens, designed from 1647 onwards, still retain their original layout.

A fire ravaged the main body of the castle in 1948, leaving only vestiges symbolized by yews. The preserved outbuildings, such as the Louis XIII Pavilion and the 16th century chapel, now house wine and tourist activities. The estate, owned by the family of Saint Venant since 1888, produces wines AOC Vouvray and Touraine on 28 hectares. Its gardens, with seven terraces and a garden garden of 900 ancient species, bear witness to an exceptional horticultural heritage.

The troglodytic chapel contains a 16th century polychrome bas-relief, attributed to the school of Jean Fouquet, discovered nearby in 1885. The sculptures of the park, such as terracotta lions or Florentine fountains, highlight Italian influence. Ranked a historic monument in 1930, Valmer combines history, viticulture and garden art, embodying the Renaissance and classical heritage of the Touraine.

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