Foundation of the Castral Chapel 1440 (≈ 1440)
Chapel dedicated to Marie-Madeleine by Guillaume de Tranchelion.
vers 1510 - 1524
Construction of college
Construction of college vers 1510 - 1524 (≈ 1517)
Building led by Lancelot de la Touche.
1527
Consecration of the college
Consecration of the college 1527 (≈ 1527)
Official foundation and funeral vocation.
vers 1600
Progressive abandonment
Progressive abandonment vers 1600 (≈ 1600)
Desert after the Wars of Religion.
1914
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 1914 (≈ 1914)
Protection of the ruins of the castle and collegiate.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Guillaume de Tranchelion - Lord and Founder
Founded the Castral Chapel in 1440.
Lancelot de la Touche - Sponsor of the college
Fits build the college (1510-1524).
Origin and history
The Château des Roches-Tranchelion, located in Avon-les-Roches (Indre-et-Loire), is closely linked to a collegiate building built in the 16th century. The latter, founded in 1527 by Lancelot de la Touche, replaces a castral chapel dedicated to Marie-Madeleine, built in 1440 by Guillaume de Tranchelion. The collegiate building site, which began around 1510 and was completed around 1524, combines flamboyant Gothic elements and decorations from the first Renaissance. The crypt, the vaults of more than 12 meters, and a hexagonal staircase tower testify to its architectural ambition.
The college had a dual funeral and parish vocation, sheltering the burials of the Touche family. Damaged during the Wars of Religion, it was gradually abandoned: deserted around 1600, served episodicly until the Revolution, and finally abandoned. The ruins of the castle, including low-to-kill rooms, remain under the church, recalling its castral origin.
Classified as a Historical Monument in 1914, the ruins of the castle and collegiate building (cadastre ZK 204, 205) are the remains of a complex that is located in an ancient castle. Their present state reflects a turbulent history, between seigneurial piety, religious conflicts and post-Renaissance decline.
