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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The 15th century house, located in Crissay-sur-Manse in Indre-et-Loire, is a stone house oriented north-south, built in the first quarter of the 16th century. Its architecture combines defensive elements such as a round scald pierced with murderers and a circular turret in corbellation, with Renaissance details like a baluster covered balcony supported by doric columns. The house, built on a cellar with fireplace, presents a gallery of 6 meters high having served as a quarry, exploiting the elevation of the land for a distribution on the ground floor.

The building is part of an ancient road through the village from north to south, with a corbelled façade and carved stone-crossed windows. Originally, he framed the village gate, near the old Bigot gate rebuilt in 1545, just north of the house. A contemporary covered passage, surmounted by a living floor, allows a level access to the house and leads to the northwest of the village. The south side, rebuilt around 1820 by a companion of the Tour de France, incorporates balusters and doric columns, marking a posterior stylistic evolution.

Classified as a Historical Monument in 1966 for its facades and roofs, this house illustrates the transition between medieval defensive architecture and Renaissance influences in Touraine. Its strategic location, near a fortified gate, suggests a role in the structure of the village and the traffic between the rural areas and the centre of the village. The sculpted elements and the gallery-career bear witness to local craftsmanship, while the 19th century changes reflect subsequent adaptations to residential uses.

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