Continuous site occupancy XIe–XVIIIe siècles (≈ 1850)
Period of housing and architectural evolution
1983–1985
Archaeological excavations
Archaeological excavations 1983–1985 (≈ 1984)
Emergency rescue before construction A71
21 août 1987
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 21 août 1987 (≈ 1987)
Protection of ruins and the environment
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Current buildings in ruins and their environment (Case A1 65, 66, 70): inscription by order of 21 August 1987
Key figures
Yannick Rialland - Archaeologist
Head of the 1983–1985 excavations
Origin and history
Chaudenay House, located in Faverdines in the south of the Cher department, is a medieval site continuously occupied between the 11th and 18th centuries. This monument, now largely in ruins, illustrates the evolution of a feudal motte towards a modern nobiliary domain. It was identified during archaeological explorations related to the construction of the A71 motorway, a period when traces of the eighth to twelfth centuries were rare in the region.
The site consists of a moth accompanied by a bassyard, bounded by a curvilinear slope of 15 to 20 metres wide. Excavations carried out between 1983 and 1985 by archaeologist Yannick Rialland revealed occupations dating from the 11th to the 16th to 17th centuries. The builders exploited the natural relief to create a strategic platform, characteristic of the small seigneuries of Boischaut. The northern platform is particularly well preserved.
Due to its historical importance, the A71 motorway was diverted to preserve the site. It was registered as historical monuments by order of 21 August 1987. Investigations have highlighted a fenced structure and traces of continuous occupation, reflecting the ultimate phase of evolution of fortified medieval sites. Despite the deviation, the site was not thoroughly searched after 1985.
This site offers a rare example of feudal architecture and its adaptation to later times, becoming a inhabited domain until the 18th century. It thus reflects the social and architectural transformations of a local seigneury over centuries.
