The Château de Serrant () is a Renaissance

château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

situated in the

Loire Valley The Loire Valley (, ), spanning , is a valley located in the middle stretch of the Loire river in central France, in both the administrative regions Pays de la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire. The area of the Loire Valley comprises about . It is r ...

, to the west of

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

. The château is the private residence of the Prince of Merode, but it is open to visitors.

Early history

The Renaissance château is built on the foundations of a medieval fortress. From the 14th century, it was held by the Brie family. Charles de Brie was inspired to start modernisation early in the 16th century, but lack of funds meant the project was halted with only the North Tower completed. Ownership then changed hands several times before Guillaume Bautru, a State Councillor, purchased the property in 1636. Bautru restarted the construction that had been halted over a century earlier. By using Charles de Brie's original plans and the same russet

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

and white tuffeau stone, Bautru ensured that there was a continuity of design. The central halls, two wings and the South Tower were added, with

Jules Hardouin-Mansart Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Gra ...

completing the work of Bautru by building the chapel. In 1749, the estate was sold by the last surviving descendant of the Bautru family to Antoine Walsh, a wealthy

slave trader The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions o ...

from

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

, who came from a family of exiled Irish Jacobites. As well as redecorating the interior of the castle, the Walsh family built an English-style park,

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

s and a monumental gate complete with the family crest.

Subsequent history

The château eventually passed out of the hands of the Walsh family in 1830, when Valentine Eugénie Joséphine Walsh de Serrant married the Duc de La Trémoïlle (1764–1839). The duke assigned Luciene Magne the task of restoring the château and several features were added, including parapets and cornices. Descendants of the La Trémoïlle family still own the château, but in the 20th century, it was modernised with cellars and the introduction of electricity. The current owners are descendants of Prince Jean Charles de Ligne-La Trémoïlle (1911–2005). His elder daughter, Princesse Hedwige de Ligne-La Trémoïlle, is married to Prince Charles-Guillaume de Merode, 14th Marquess of Westerlo and 3rd Prince of Merode. Their children include Prince Emmanuel de Merode. The castle is notable for its

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

(stocked with 12,000 books), the vaulted halls that originally held the kitchens, and

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's bedroom, which was never used by the emperor as he stayed at the castle for only two hours.

Gallery

File:Marie Anne de La Trémoille, Duchess of Bracciano, attributed to Nicolas de Largillière.jpg, Marie Anne de La Trémoille, Duchess of Bracciano. Collection of the Prince de Merode File:Veüe du Chasteau de Serrant. en Aniou; a quatre lieües D'Angers appartenant à Mr le comte de Céran, dessin de Louis Boudan – Gallica 2007.jpg, View of the château de Serrant from the garden side in 1695, drawing by Louis Boudan File:Veüe de l entré du chasteau de Serrant. en Aniou; a demi lieüe de lAbbaye de St George sur loyre, 1695, dessin de Louis Boudan – Gallica 2007.jpg, View of the château de Serrant from the entrance side in 1695, drawing by Louis Boudan

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Serrant, Chateau Châteaux of the Loire Valley Châteaux in Maine-et-Loire Historic house museums in Pays de la Loire Museums in Maine-et-Loire Water castles in France