Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Chaudenay House is a medieval site today in ruins, located in Faverdines, in the south of the Cher department. Occupied between the 11th and 18th centuries, it illustrates the evolution of a feudal motte towards a modern nobiliary domain. This site is one of the few testimonies of the feudal period found during archaeological excavations related to the construction of the A71 motorway, a time when traces of the eighth to twelfth centuries are particularly rare in the region.

The excavations carried out between 1983 and 1985 by archaeologist Yannick Rialland, as part of an urgent rescue, revealed a continuous occupation from the eleventh to the seventeenth century. The route of the A71 motorway was even diverted to preserve the site, which was finally listed as historical monuments in 1987. The structure, consisting of a motte and a low-yard bounded by a slope, shows how the builders exploited the natural relief to build a strategic platform, well preserved to the north.

This site reflects the adaptation of a small seigneury of Boischaut throughout the centuries. Originally conceived as a feudal fortification, the strong house evolved into a habitable nobiliary residence until the 18th century. Archaeological investigations, including cores and a 40-metre trench, confirmed this prolonged occupation, emphasizing its importance in the study of the social and architectural transformations of the region.

External links