First mention of the fief 1025 (≈ 1025)
Fief de Grenouillon quoted in texts.
XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles
Construction of the current area
Construction of the current area XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles (≈ 1850)
Logis, farm and gardens.
11 décembre 1992
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 11 décembre 1992 (≈ 1992)
Protection of facades, roofs, moats and gardens.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Façades and roofs of the castle and the communes, courtyard of the castle and its enclosure; facades and roofs of farm buildings, including the dovecote, the farm yard and its enclosure; moat of the castle; garden and its fence wall (cad. B 506 to 508, 538): entry by order of 11 December 1992
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
The source text does not mention any names.
Origin and history
The Grenouillon estate, located in Moutiers-sous-Argenton, has its origins since 1025, where fief is mentioned in historical texts. The current site, structured around two closed enfilade courses, reflects a typical organization of seigneurial domains. The first courtyard houses the farm and a dovecote, while the second, partly surrounded by moat, contains the main house and its outbuildings. This house, of elongated shape, revolves around a central staircase and includes a quadrangular pavilion to the north. The facades, especially the one in the east, present architectural elements of the eighteenth century, like a full curved door carved with pilasters.
Inside, the estate preserves traces of a variety of eras: some doorways in braid may date back to the Middle Ages, but most of the developments (painted woodworks, false marble fireplaces) date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The garden, which has been attested since at least the eighteenth century, occupies the western half of the estate. Clos of walls, it consists of a vegetable garden, a charmille and boxways drawing a rigorous geometry. This garden, like facades, roofs, moats and courtyards, was protected by a registration order in 1992, highlighting its heritage importance.
The estate, now privately owned, is only accessible to the public on the occasion of European Heritage Days. Its spatial organization, combining agricultural, residential and landscape features, illustrates the evolution of rural areas between the 17th and 19th centuries. The reshaping of the bays to the west and the interior arrangements show the successive adaptations of the building, while the presence of moats recalls its defensive or symbolic origin, typical of medieval fiefs transformed into pleasure residences.
