In Touraine, in the heart of an amply wooded, game-rich site, since 1728 the Château de Champchevrier has been inhabited by the same family. Kings Louis XI and, to an even greater extent, Louis XIII hunted in lands where even today, venery traditions remain alive and well. Reconstructed during the Renaissance and embellished over the course of the 18th century, Champchevrier is at once a remarkable Monument Historique and a lively family château in which each generation is intent on transmitting respect and love of heritage.
The history of the Château de Champchevrier got underway in the 11th century when an edifice was built by Hugues de Champchevrier. Successive owners included the de Maillé, Laval, Bastarnay and Daillon families, the latter being responsible for construction in 1550 of the Renaissance château. Surviving reminders of the epoch include the mullioned windows of the elegant façade, which was renovated during the 18th century. Since Henri de Daillon had no sons, it was his nephew, Antoine de Roquelaure, Marshal of France, who inherited the castle in 1686, and he improved its outdoor design by creating courtyards, gardens and moats.
In 1728 the château was sold to Jean-Baptiste Pierre Henri de la Rüe du Can, who was designated as Baron in 1741 in letters patent issued by Louis XV. He was responsible for broad perspectives providing an excellent view from the château to the forest encasing the monument. As direct descendants of the first Baron de Champchevrier, today’s proprietors are strongly committed to perpetuating 18th-century refinement throughout the edifice. A French art of living is particularly prominent in the immense portrait room with its sublime Italian marble floor, sumptuous cutlery and tiled stove, all of which had originally been intended as adornment for the château of Richelieu.
The beauty of the château de Champchevrier also resides in the rich furnishings of the different rooms open to the public; in the music salon, valuable items from the Regency period have borne silent witness to successive generations since 1728. In addition, the monument is worth visiting due to the tapestries woven in three different factories during the 16th and 17th centuries, outstanding achievements that Louis XIII most likely admired when he visited the château in 1619.
Lastly, the château contains a laundry room that was well-stocked in accessories and miscellaneous furnishings; it attests to the comprehensive stewardship necessary to the daily life of an exquisite castle. It is likewise possible to delve into the mundane existence of persons who remained in the background of the owners’ activities. In the one-time kitchens, a large collection of copper pans and other bygone utensils may be viewed. All of these objects recall the multiple aspects of life in Champchevrier, a monument that has remained inhabited, and where hunting with barking hounds epitomizes tradition that has forged the identity of the château over the centuries.
