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Origin and history

The Château du Verger, located in Seiches-sur-le-Loir en Maine-et-Loire, is a Louis XII style building built between the late 15th and the first half of the 16th century. Sponsored by Pierre de Rohan-Gié, Marshal of France, and designed by architect Colin Biart, he is distinguished by his regular quadrangular plan and facades inspired by the Louis XII wing of the Château de Blois. This monument announces Renaissance architectural innovations, such as those of Florimond Robertet at Bury Castle.

The castle was erected between 1492 and 1494, in parallel with the works of the Motte-Glain, while Gié accompanied King Charles VIII to Italy. A letter dated 6 August 1495 from Turin confirms progress. After 1504, the Marshal of Gié devoted himself almost exclusively to the beautification of the Verger, neglecting his other fields. The site is especially famous for having welcomed the signature of the Treaty of Verger (1488), stipulating that the heir of the Duchy of Brittany could not marry without the agreement of the King of France.

Between 1776 and 1783 the cardinal of Rohan dismantled most of the castle, which had already been degraded by a flaw of maintenance, and sold the recoverable materials. Today, only the entrance châtelet remains, two foreyard buildings flanked by defense towers, as well as the remains of moat and fence walls. The stables, the prioral home of a former priory and a 16th century building, protected by decrees of 2001 and 2007, recall the historical importance of the site.

The architecture of the Verger, though partially disappeared, illustrates the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its forecourt, moats and counterscarp walls still bear witness to its past grandeur. The estate, now shared between private and communal property, preserves elements classified as Historical Monuments, such as the facades of the remaining buildings and the base grounds of the park.

The historical sources, including the works of Barthélémy Pocquet (1907) and Jean-Pierre Babelon (1989), underline the Italian influence of the castle, marked by the stay of Gié in Italy. This monument, although unknown, plays a key role in the evolution of French castral architecture, between medieval tradition and renaissant innovations.

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