Château d'Artigny
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Château d'Artigny or Château Le Puy d'Artigny is a French
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
located in the
commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...
of
Montbazon Montbazon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Indre-et-Loire Departments of France, department, France. It is located on the river Indre (river), Indre between the towns of Veigné, Monts and Sorigny. The town is about 12 km from Tours ...
, in the department of
Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it ...
in the
Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...
region of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. The current structure was built between 1912 and 1928 to serve as residence to perfumer
François Coty François Coty (born Joseph Marie François Spoturno in Corsica ; 3 May 1874 – 25 July 1934) was a French perfumer, businessman, newspaper publisher, politician and patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Coty perfume company, today a ...
. Since the late 1950s, the castle has been converted into a
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
.


The first castles

Having originally been constructed as a fortress around the
keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
of Montbazon, an advanced bastion, during the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
, the Château d'Artigny was incorporated into the line of defences established along the river
Indre Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...
. Jean d’Artannes captain governor of Montbazon, after whom a nearby village is named, owned it in the fifteen century. The name d’Artannes became over the centuries d’Artigny. It was subsequently altered in the Renaissance style during the 18th century. In the following century it passed in the hands of Joseph Testard de Bouranis, the king's treasurer, who replaced it with a new construction which survived the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
and was later modified into a Neo Renaissance style in the 19th Century.


François Coty

On 30 July 1912 perfumer
François Coty François Coty (born Joseph Marie François Spoturno in Corsica ; 3 May 1874 – 25 July 1934) was a French perfumer, businessman, newspaper publisher, politician and patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Coty perfume company, today a ...
, bought the château. On a journey around
Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vie ...
he was captivated by the location but, feeling the building to be unbalanced and badly placed on the cliff overlooking the Indre, he had the château pulled down and rebuilt 12 metres further away on new foundations. Measuring 60 metres by 18 metres and 27 tall. On the outside, it was almost a mirror image of the château at
Épinay-Champlâtreux Épinay-Champlâtreux () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. See also *Communes of the Val-d'Oise department The following is a list of the 184 communes of the Val-d'Oise department of France. Th ...
which was constructed by the architect
Jean-Michel Chevotet Jean-Michel Chevotet (11 July 1698, Paris – 4 December 1772) was a French architect. He and Pierre Contant d'Ivry were among the most eminent Parisian architects of the day and designed in both the restrained French Rococo manner, known as the ...
between 1751 and 1757. The interior plan of the château, however, was inspired by the Château de Voisins, near
Rambouillet Rambouillet (, , ) is a subprefecture of the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of France. It is located beyond the outskirts of Paris, southwest of its centre. In 2018, the commune had a population of 26,933. Rambouillet lies ...
, where a long gallery gives on to a series of huge rooms all linked to each other. There was a grand reception room, a library, a small salon, a dining room and the main stairwell. A chapel, a copy of the one at the
Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
, albeit a quarter of the size, was connected to the main building by an underground passage. The main construction work was completed between 1913 and 1928, and the fittings and interior decoration followed. Apart from his perfumes, Coty's finest creation was the Château d’Artigny. Coty, employed architects,
Emmanuel Pontremoli Emmanuel Pontremoli (13 January 1865 – 25 July 1956) was a French architect and archaeologist. Biography Born in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, a student in the ''atelier'' of Louis-Jules André, in 1890 he won the Prix de Rome in the architectur ...
, was just one of the architects who along with many draftsmen, was subjected to Coty's active participation in every aspects of the plans and execution. Over one hundred workers labored for twelve years, and still the château was not finished. Master builders, sculptors, carvers, tile setters, painters, craftsmen and labourers.
Denys Puech Denys Puech (3 December 1854, Gavernac, Bozouls, Aveyron – December 1942, Rodez, Aveyron) was a French sculptor. Biography From a family of farmers (his brother was Louis Puech, Député for the Seine Department from 1898 to 1932, and Minist ...
, the official sculptor (a receiver of the
Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...
) constructed an 18th-century style allegory on the tympanum of the
pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...
of the central front section overlooking the Indre valley. Nothing was too fine or too luxurious: the polished stone stairway from Lens, the dining room with its marble floor from Carrare, inlaid with a variety of bronze motifs, the Regency woodwork and the carved columns gilded with gold leaf. From 1929 up until Coty's death in 1934 at his residence at
Louveciennes Louveciennes () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, between Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and adjacent to Marly-le-Roi. Population ...
, he lived for half of the year at Artigny with his family. During this time, About 40 employees and bodyguards were employed on the estate, which encompassed seven kilometres of river, French gardens, orchard greenhouses, several farms, three mills, a hunting lodge, a
rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...
and some abandoned school buildings. The most important room, the most original and most beautiful room of the château is the rotunda on the first floor. This reception room with its high windows overlooking the Indre valley and opening on to François Coty's study is crowned at a height of 9.2 metres by a cupola decorated with a ''
trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...
'' by
Charles Hoffbauer Charles Constantin Joseph Hoffbauer (June 28, 1875 - July 26, 1957) was a French-born artist who became a United States citizen. He painted a wide variety of subjects, including many that depicted scenes of historical interest. Early life and ed ...
, a receiver of the Grand Prix de Rome 1924, and depicted a costume ball with friends and family; among them Coty's son-in-law, Paul Dubonnet, actresses
Mary Marquet Mary Marquet (born Micheline Marguerite Delphine Marquet; 14 April 1895 – 29 August 1979) was a French stage and film actress. Career Marquet came from a family of artists: her parents were actors, an aunt was a star dancer at the Paris Ope ...
,
Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; October 29, 1907 – November 13, 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born mo ...
and
Cécile Sorel Céline Émilie Seurre (7 September 1873 in Paris – 3 September 1966 in Trouville-sur-Mer), known as Cécile Sorel or the Comtesse de Ségur by marriage, was a French comic actress. She enjoyed great popularity and was known for her extravagant ...
, the ballet masters
Serge Lifar Serge Lifar ( ua, Сергій Михайлович Лифар, ''Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar'') ( 15 December 1986) was a Ukrainian ballet dancer and choreographer, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. No ...
and
Serge Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...
, the painter
Foujita was a Japanese–French painter and printmaker born in Tokyo, Japan, who applied Japanese ink techniques to Western style paintings. At the height of his fame in Paris, during the 1920s, he was known for his portraits of nudes using an opalescen ...
, and the
Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...
.


After Coty

Following the
Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
, and due to a costly lifestyle, a disastrous divorce, and the expense of his press empire, Coty's fortune in liquid assets was much diminished. After his death, the château is temporarily escrowed as security for his creditors and his art collections were sold at auction in 124 lots at the
Galerie Charpentier The Galerie Charpentier was a gallery of historic and contemporary art in Paris, located at 76, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, at the corner with rue Duras. History In 1802, the Comte d'Orglandes had a mansion built at 76 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Ho ...
in Paris on 30 November and 1 December 1936. In 1940, at the time when the French capital was relocated to
Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
, the château had been identified as a potential shelter by a local aide-de-camp of
Admiral Darlan Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
and was subsequently occupied by the Department of the Navy. In 1941 it lay empty for a few months before being occupied by German troops until 1942, who in the meantime had painted the château brown to act as camouflage. Finally, it served as an annexe of Tours hospital, catering for the seriously wounded. Coty's family once again took possession of the château in 1947 and were made several offers. The projects to convert it into the head office of
Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it ...
’s general council or into a holiday park were not followed. After two years, in the course of which the library was converted into a lounge bar offering a unique collection of cognac, armagnac, port and whisky, it was opened at the end of 1961, under the name of the "Relais d'Artigny", becoming the first hotel company in
Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...
. The wine cellar holds around 45,000 bottles of French wine, the finest collection in the world of Touraine wines. Since opening, Artigny has welcomed a number of personalities such as the
Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...
and in 1963
Haile Selassie I Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia ('' ...
, the last emperor of Ethiopia. On 24–25 November 1973, under the guise of the establishment's annual closing, the finance ministers of the G5 countries met in the château for the
International Monetary Conference The international monetary conferences were a series of assemblies held in the second half of the 19th century. They were held with a view to reaching agreement on matters relating to international relationships between national currency systems. B ...
, with
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...
presiding for France. In April 1976, an inconspicuous meeting took place between the French President and his future successor,
François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
. Artigny still belongs to the family hotel group, “Grandes Étapes Françaises”, whose president is Pierre Traversac. The château-hotel has 65 bedrooms, two dining rooms and a spa.


Bibliography

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References


External links

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Château d'Artigny on Bridgeman images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Artigny Châteaux in Indre-et-Loire Houses completed in 1928 Hotels in France 20th-century architecture in France