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Heritage classified

Origin and history

Le Clos du Bois Rayer is a 18th-century gloriette built in Saint-Avertin, Indre-et-Loire department. This type of construction was common around Tours at that time, reflecting the local architecture and social practices of rural or religious elites. Originally, this monument was part of a vast priorial complex founded in the twelfth century, but it was dispersed in 1770. The gloriette, probably used as an agricultural dependency, retains a ground floor surmounted by an attic for the storage of crops (forage and wheat).

The facades and roofs of the house, as well as those of the small house in the north, were listed as historical monuments by order of 12 July 1965. This protection also applies to certain parcels of land, highlighting the heritage importance of the site. The place, now known as Petit Bois, bears witness to the evolution of religious properties in Touraine, transformed after their dispersion in the late eighteenth century.

Le Clos du Bois Rayer illustrates the link between rural architecture and priory heritage in the Centre-Val de Loire. Its present state, although partially modified, offers a preserved example of the Tourangelle gloriettes, often associated with agricultural estates or secondary residences of the aristocracy or clergy. The approximate location of the site, at 21 Rue du Grand Cèdre, allows us to envisage its integration into a landscape still marked by the medieval and modern history of the region.

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