The Louroux Priory, also known as Château du Louroux, is located in the commune of Louroux in the French department of

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (; ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior ...

region. It was founded in the 12th century by the Marmoutier Abbey. At the time, the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery was one of nine

priories belonging to the Touraine abbacy A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or the Ch ...

and located in the Tours diocese. The buildings, constructed between the 11th and 20th centuries, are surrounded by an enclosure and a fortified wall from the Feudal period, with a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

and a

standing bridge Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an upright (orthostatic) position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the sag ...

. Dating from the Romanesque,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, and Classical eras, the complex includes several buildings, most notably the Prior's Residence, two barns, a

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

, and a church dedicated to Saint Sulpice. The priory also included a Romanesque building, probably a "

Grande Salle Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to: Places *Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany *Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas *Grande-Rivière (disambiguation) *Arroio ...

", built in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, of which only vestiges remain. Towards the mid-16th century, with the beginning of the commendam regime within Marmoutier Abbey, the priory was transformed into an agricultural establishment, then came under the administration of the Archbishopric of Tours in the mid-18th century. Leased to farmers, the former priory and its estate were sold as national property in 1791. The church was listed in 1973. The dovecote, façades, and roofs of the feudal farm buildings were listed on the general inventory in 1975. The Louroux priory, which has been the subject of numerous restoration campaigns undertaken by the abbots of Marmoutier, was restored in the 2000s.

Geography

The Louroux priory, also known as "Château du Louroux", Impey et Lorans 1988, p. 153.Jacques-Xavier Carré de Busserolle, "Le Louroux", in ''Dictionnaire géographique, historique et biographique d'Indre-et-Loire et de l'ancienne province de Touraine'', t. IV, Société archéologique de Touraine, 1882
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. is located east of the main center of Le Louroux, a commune in the arrondissement of

Loches Loches (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is situated southeast of Tours by road, on the left bank of the river Indre (river), Indre. History Loch ...

, department of

Abbey farmarchive
on the ''OpenStreetMap'' database (accessed 24 July 2018).Le Louroux – aerial photograph and map (2014)archive
on the ''Remonter le temps'' website of the ''Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière'' (accessed 16 July 2018). region. To the northeast of Le Louroux stands the former commune of

Saint-Bauld Saint-Bauld () is a former commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. On 1 January 2018, it was merged into the new commune of Tauxigny-Saint-Bauld. Impey Lorans, p. 156. a parish founded at the same time as the priory. Impey Lorans, p. 153. The

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of Armançay, or Armençey, straddles the communes of

Tauxigny-Saint-Bauld Tauxigny-Saint-Bauld () is a commune in the department of Indre-et-Loire, central France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2018 by merger of the former communes of Tauxigny (the seat) and Saint-Bauld.Hardouin V de Maillé Hardouin is used as both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Hardouin (archbishop), Archbishop of Tours from 960 to 980 * Hardouin de Graetz, or Ortwin (1475–1542), German scholar and theologian * Hardouin Mansa ...

had a manor house towards the late 13th century,Ambroise Ledru, L. J. Denis and Eugène Vallée, chap. IX "Hardouin V de Maillé mari de Jeanne et Jeanne de Beauçay (1248–1306)", in ''La maison de Maillé: Histoire généalogique'', t. 1, Paris, Alphonse Lemaire, 1905, 498 p.
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, p. 47-48. and which was later elevated to a

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

y. The commune of

Manthelan Manthelan () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department The following is a list of the 272 communes of the Indre-et-Loire department of France. The c ...

, situated on a south-southeast axis, was probably the center of a ''

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

'', a small settlement dating from the 5th century BC. The fortified complex is bordered by the Route de Louroux to the north and the Route Départementale 50 to the west. The Rue du Château, which starts in the south-west, provides access to the priory's enclosure. The priory's northern boundary is delimited by a stream of the Échandon, Impey et Lorans 1988, p. 159. a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Indre Indre (); is a 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 administrative region of Cent ...

, which feeds the Louroux ponds to the southwest of the commune's main square. This watercourse, which forms part of the moat of the fortified complex, separates it from the town center to the west. The Échandon serves as a border, a type of demarcation specific to the Loch region during the Middle Ages. The Louroux ponds, comprising two

bodies of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more ra ...

-the 52-hectare Etang des Roseaux and the 4-hectare Etang de Beaulieu- were created in the 10th and 11th centuries respectively and exploited by the monks of the priory. Not far from the ponds, in a place called "Mazère" (''

lieu-dit ''Lieu-dit'' (; plural: ''lieux-dits'') (literally ''location-said'', "named place") is a French language, French toponymic term for a small geographical area bearing a traditional name. The name usually refers to some characteristic of the plac ...

''), a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

'' was discovered in 1976.Jacques Dubois, "Archéologie aérienne en Touraine (France)", ''Revue archéologique de Picardie'', no spécial 17 (Actes du colloque international d'archéologie aérienne Amiens, 15 – 18 octobre 1992. Hommage à Roger Agache pour 35 ans de prospections aériennes dans le Nord de la France, 1999, p. 363 (DO
10.3406/pica.1999.2123read onlinearchive
accessed 26 July 2018). From this 100 x 100 m ancient settlement, only remains traces that were identifiable by

aerial survey Aerial survey is a method of collecting geomatics or other imagery data using airplanes, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicle, UAVs, Balloon (aeronautics), balloons, or other aerial methods. Typical data collected includes aerial photography, Li ...

.Jacques Dubois, "Archéologie aérienne : prospections de 1987, 1988 et 1989", ''bulletin de la Société archéologique de Touraine'', t. 44, 1990, p. 112 and 113
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accessed 25 July 2018). The fortified complex, which lies at the heart of a small

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

, is flanked on the south by a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

, which rises to a modest altitude. Saint-Jouan 2009, p. 101. The Louroux priory, like the rest of the commune, rests on a subsoil largely made up of yellow limestone formed in the

Turonian The Turonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS' geologic timescale, the second age (geology), age in the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch, or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the Upper Cretaceous series (stratigraphy), ...

period, as well as siliceous clay and lacustrine limestone formed in the

Senonian The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'' ...

period."Les plateaux agricoles du center Touraine", in ''Atlas de l'Indre-et-Loire: Partie 3 – Le Savignéen'', coll. "Études des paysages d'Indre-et-Loire", 2012
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DF, pp. 217 and 221. After its foundation, the Le Louroux monastery became one of nine priories belonging to the Marmoutier abbey in the Tours diocese.

History

Middle Age

Foundation

In 993, the

Archbishop of Tours The Archdiocese of Tours (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd century, while the formal erection of the diocese dates from the 5th century. The ecclesiastical pro ...

, Archembault de Sully, made a donation of the Saint-Sulpice church (or, more precisely, of an oratory) to the monks of the Marmoutier abbey – the toponym Louroux comes from the Latin word ''oratorium'' and literally means oratory, "place of prayer". This deed is the oldest manuscript document relating to Louroux. The Louroux church was then ceded as an ecclesiastic

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

in return of an annual income (or cens) of ten

sous The Sous region (also spelt Sus, Suss, Souss or Sousse) (, ) is a historical, cultural and geographical region of Morocco, which constitutes part of the region administration of Souss-Massa and Guelmim-Oued Noun. The region is known for the en ...

. This annual remuneration came to an end under the ministry of Raoul II, towards the late 11th and early 12th centuries. Geoffroy de Martel recueil etc

The

foundation Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

of the

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

was most probably simultaneous with the creation of the parishes of the Louroux and Saint-Bault. However, as with the eighteen other priories erected in

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 Vien ...

by the abbacy of Marmoutier, there is no trace of a foundational deed for the Louroux. According to Jacques-Xavier Carré de Busserolle, the Louroux Priory was founded in 1058 by

Geoffrey of Anjou Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 – 7 September 1151), called the Fair (), Plantagenet, and of Anjou, was the count of Anjou and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also duke of Normandy by his marriage claim and conquest, from 1144. Geoffrey m ...

. Montoux 1978, p. 693. Impey et Lorans 1988, p. 155. At the time of its foundation, the Louroux's establishment was the seat of a

y held by the abbey of Marmoutier, whose ruler possessed "the titles and prerogatives of lord of Louroux with the

rights Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...

of high, medium and low justice". However, as Edward Impey and Élisabeth Lorans point out, there are no documents attesting to the foundation of the Louroux by the

Count of Anjou The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by King Charles the Bald, Charles the Bald of West Francia in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the t ...

. However,

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

s of donation, issued in the 11th and 12th centuries, enable us to reconstruct the increase in seigniorial and religious rights at the Louroux. These documents show that during this period, Geoffroy II d'Anjou, as well as the lords close to him, contributed to the priory's development.

The priory's first buildings and development

The very first mention of the priory appears in a 1052 donation charter issued by Goscelin de Sainte-Maure. The lord of Sainte-Maure agreed to cede to the monks of the Louroux the right to bread-making, with the exception of those who had long owed him the privilege of doing so. This donation was executed before 15 August 1052, the date of Goscelin de Sainte-Maure's death. During the 11th century, Montbazon appears in acts relating to the priory. The monks of the Louroux, who belong to the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

, have held land at Lavatorii (fief du Lavoir, commune of Veigné) from their

Tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, a tenant-in-chief (or vassal-in-chief) was a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as opposed to holding them ...

Thibault de Braord, knight of Montbazon, since the foundation of the monastic establishment, in exchange for an annual cens of 200

denarius The ''denarius'' (; : ''dēnāriī'', ) was the standard Ancient Rome, Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the ''antoninianus''. It cont ...

. Mabille 1863, p. 44. Impey and Lorans 1988, p. 158. On Braord's death, his wife Audierne demanded one setier of wheat and 4 setiers of wine in addition to the cens. The monks refused, the dispute was brought before the court of Montbazon and Braord's widow's claim was rejected. The Ulgers, another seigneurial family than the Sainte-Maure, are also linked to the priory's history. Impey et Lorans 1988, p. 156. Relations between the priory and this family date back to the first half of the 11th century.Émile Mabille, chap. II "Chartes de l'an 1000 à l'an 1050", in ''Catalogue analytique des diplômes, chartes et actes relatifs à l'histoire de Touraine'', t. XIV, Société archéologique de Touraine, coll. "Mémoires de la Société archéologique de Touraine", 1863
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. An undated charter shows that Archembault and Ulger, two of the sons of Ulger,

doyen A doyen or doyenne (from the French language, French word ''wikt:doyen#French, doyen'', ''doyenne'' in the feminine grammatical gender) is the senior ambassador by length of service in a particular country. In the English language, the meaning ...

of Saint-Martin, renounced "all uses and royalties whatsoever that their father Ulger possessed on the lands of the said religious called Louroux". This deed is associated with an acknowledgment on Marmoutier's part of Geoffroy de Montbazon's possessions in the Louroux Viguerie, which were later annulled before the

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

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 Tour ...

in return for a payment of 15

livres Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * F ...

. A second document, dated 1064, mentions Dean Ulger and his son ceding the customs and collections on the Louroux estate.Émile Mabille, chap. III "Chartes de l'an 1050 à l'an 1075", in ''Catalogue analytique des diplômes, chartes et actes relatifs à l'histoire de Touraine'', t. XIV, Société archéologique de Touraine, coll. "Mémoires de la Société archéologique de Touraine", 1863
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. In February 1067, Geoffroy, the youngest son of doyen Ulger, in return for 100

, paid by Barthélémy, abbot of Marmoutier, ceded his rights of use and custom over the Louroux Priory. During Barthélémy's abbacy, between 1064 and 1084, an individual named Ainard de Sainte-Maure donated ten serfs from the Louroux parish. Towards the late 12th century, between 1080 and 1100, his son Hugues de Sainte-Maure sought to obtain half the tithe and agistment rights belonging to the priory of Le Louroux. Ardonius, the

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

in charge of Le Louroux at the time, did not give in to his demands; the dispute was settled through a duel, and Sainte-Maure's attempt failed.Émile Mabille, chap. III "Chartes de l'an 1075 à l'an 1100", in ''Catalogue analytique des diplômes, chartes et actes relatifs à l'histoire de Touraine'', t. XIV, Société archéologique de Touraine, coll. "Mémoires de la Société archéologique de Touraine", 1863
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. The first buildings to be erected, the Prior's residence and the Church of Saint-Sulpice, date back to the 12th century.Dominique Bouguet and Élisabeth Van der Motte, "Réhabilitation du prieuré du Louroux", ''Le Lourousien'', Mairie du Louroux, no. 1, June 2008, p. 2
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DF accessed 25 July 2018).Eglise paroissiale Saint-Sulpicearchive
on the ''Mérimée'' database, Ministry of Culture (accessed 20 July 2018). Impey Lorans, p. 160-161. The oldest building is probably the one used to house the prior.I mpey Lorans, p. 159. According to André Montoux, the church dedicated to Saint Sulpice, donated in the early 990s, was entirely rebuilt at the end of the 12th century. Montoux 1978, p. 699. Archaeologist Robert Ranjard, on the other hand, believes that the current nave was constructed in the 13th century. Montoux 1978, p. 698. Other archaeologists, Elisabeth Lorans and Edward Impey, corroborate this claim. Impey Lorans, p. 164. In 1146, an individual named Hugues Ancipitrencis sold six acres of land located "near the Gaultier elm" ("''juxta ulnum Gaulterii''") to the monks of Louroux. A sum of 30 sous, plus an annual fee of six deniers, were paid in return. A dispute arose between the priory of Le Louroux and that of Saint-Bauld between 1180 and 1188, concerning the

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

levied on the fief of Armançay – then known by its Latinized toponym ''Hermentiaci''. The disagreement over the levying of Armançay, an estate located on the border between Tauxigny-Saint-Bauld and Le Louroux, resulted in the official materialization of the border between the two parishes.

Fortification

From 1210 to 1220, according to the Marmoutier charters, Hugues des Roches, who was abbot of the Marmoutier Abbey, at the time, may have been responsible for building the ''

aula Aula may refer to: *Avola, a city in Sicily (''Àula'' in Sicilian) *Aula, Eritrea, a village in western Eritrea *Aula (river) Aula is a river of Hesse, Germany. The 22.6-km Aula is a 22.6 km long tributary of the Fulda, joining it in Niederau ...

'' (main hall), refurbishing the residence, building a barn, and fortifying the site. Within the ''Grande chronique de Touraine d'André Salmon'', the following text refers to these events:

« ''Sextus decimus abbas fuit Hugo ..In Lavatorio ipse fecit fierimagna œdificia et plurimos reditus acquisivit, et in Lavatorio hic œdificavit aulam et grangiam et vetera œdificia reparavit, et muris cinxit totum manerium.'' (Hugues was the sixteenth abbot ..At the Louroux, he himself enlarged the dwelling and enriched it with numerous revenues, and at the Louroux, he built a large hall and a barn and repaired the old dwelling, and surrounded the entire manor with a wall). » — André Salmon, 1854, p. 325.

Nonetheless, attributing this construction to the initiative of the abbot of Marmoutier needs to be nuanced: according to Impey and Lorans, it is not impossible that this was an older building that Des Roches only had repaired, and that this same ''aula'' was destroyed at a later date. In 1221, a knight named Geoffroy Isoré donated one-third of two acres of meadow to the priory. This land is close to the mill ceded in 991 by Archbishop Archembault Sully. Towards the end of the 13th century, in a deed dated 5 May 1287, Hardouin V de Maillé and his wife Jeanne de Beauçay, then owners of a manor in the Louroux section of Armançay, relinquished all

breading Breadcrumbs are a culinary ingredient consisting of flour or crumbled bread of varying dryness, sometimes with seasonings added. They are used for a variety of purposes, including breading or crumbing foods before frying (such as breaded cut ...

, smoking preservation and cornage rights they held over the Louroux monks. Around 1251, on behalf of the priory, the monks of Marmoutier purchased a millstream and mill site in the Louroux parish. Then, in 1302, a knight and lord of Blou relinquished his ownership rights to a

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

belonging to the parish of the Louroux.Charles Loiseau de Grandmaison, "Prieuré et seigneurie du Louroux", in Charles Loiseau de Grandmaison, ''Archives ecclésiastiques antérieures à 1790 : inventaire sommaire de la série H – Clergé régulier – H1 987'', Archives départementales de Tours, 1891, 358 p.
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DF, p. 283 and 284. The second phase of construction involved the fortification of the site. This phase probably dates from the early 14th century, rather than from Des Roches' abbatiate in the early 13th century. It involved digging the

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

and building the

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...

. Impey et Lorans 1988, p. 164. Delpech - Philip VI of France

The high, medium, and low rights of justice, as well as the setiers of wheat and wine granted to the lord of the Louroux, were made public and ratified by

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

from King Philippe VI of France in 1334. Montoux 1978, p. 700. The monarch of the House of Valois instructed the officers of Montbazon to bring a detainee named Geoffroy before the Louroux jurisdiction. At the beginning of the 15th century, between 1412 and 1426, Guy I de Lur, then abbot of Marmoutier, purchased a mill and the Roseaux pond, which he transferred to the priory. For the establishment of the Louroux, de Lur also had a new pond built as an extension to that of the Roseaux. A tithe barn was built in the 15th century. Saint-Jouan 2009, p. 102. More precisely, a dendrochronological analysis of the various timbers (frame, beam, door and floor) shows that the building was constructed between 1478 and 1479. The fortification of the Louroux complex, comprising the prior's residence, the tithe barn, and the abbey farm, became complete during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. Entrance was via a gate in the southwest corner and a postern on the northeast side. On 14 January 1494, Jean Forheti, at that time a cleric of the

diocese of Bourges The Archdiocese of Bourges (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archdiocese comprises the of Cher and Indre in the Region of Val de Loire. Bourges Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Stephen (), stands in the city ...

, agreed to pay the priory's

annates Annates ( or ; , from ', "year") were a payment from the recipient of an ecclesiastical benefice to the collating authorities. Eventually, they consisted of half or the whole of the first year's profits of a benefice; after the appropriation of th ...

.Louis-Célestin Ravaud and Edgar-Raphaël Vaucelle (eds.), "Les annates du diocèse de Tours 1421–1521", ''Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Touraine'', t. XVI, 1907–1908, pp. 163–164
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accessed 15 April 2019). Payment of these taxes, amounting to 36 gold

ducat The ducat ( ) coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages to the 19th century. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide inter ...

s (equivalent to 60 pounds in current currency), were made on behalf of Louis Februarii, then parish priest of the church of Saint-Sulpice, and to the ''

sede vacante In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...

'' of Raoul de La Forge (or de La Forja), a priest of the diocese of Tours, who renounced his diocesan title before the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

Modern period

Conversion into an abbey farm and Wars of Religion

In the early 16th century, Pope Paul II appointed

Francesco II Sforza Francesco II Sforza (4 February 1495 – 1 November 1535) was Duke of Milan from 1521 until his death. He became duke of Milan after Emperor Charles V reconquered it from the French. He fought at Bicocca against the French, but in 1526 joine ...

as Abbot of Marmoutier. In addition to the direct benefits due to the abbacy, Sforza shared with his predecessor the revenues generated by the exploitation of the Louroux lands.André Salmon, "Marmoutier", ''Mémoires de la Société archéologique de Touraine'', vol. 11, 1859
read onlinearchive
accessed 31 July 2018). In 1537, Philippe Hurault succeeded Matthieu Gautier as Abbot of Marmoutier. However, he retained ownership of the Louroux priory, where he died on 15 July 1552, and it is likely that Gautier was the initiator of the renovation work on the priory's residence during the

. Dendrochronological analysis shows that work on the building dates back to 1520–1523. This involved replacing the timbers, repairing the floor, and remodeling the eastern wall. Hurault, who replaced Gautier in the late 1530s, was the last abbot of the regular clergy regime. From the second half of the 16th century (or even towards the end of that century), following the replacement of the regular regime by the commendatory regime -this period began in 1540 with the ministry of

Jean, Cardinal of Lorraine Jean de Lorraine (9 April 1498 – c. 18 May 1550) was the third son of the ruling Duke of Lorraine, and a French cardinal, who was (at one time or another) archbishop of Reims (1532–1538), Lyon (1537–1539), and Narbonne (1524–1550), bishop ...

- the fortified complex no longer had priory status and became a farm under the authority of Marmoutier's Abbey. The lourousian complex then became a "source of income" for Marmoutier and was regularly leased to farmers. The wooded areas included in the priory's domain were sometimes cut down, generating income and financing unexpected expenses. Montoux 1978, p. 701. Early on in 1598, during the Eighth War of Religion,

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

troops led by a man named Mussant stormed the priory and damaged the buildings. On 28 and 29 May of the same year, 300 chests piled one on top of the other were removed from the grounds of Saint-Sulpice's church, which had not been maintained for over two decades. Given its dilapidated state, Saint-Sulpice's choir area was most likely rebuilt in the course of the 17th century.

Repairs and extensions to the archdiocese of Tours

On 16 September 1707, the church tower of Saint-Sulpice was destroyed by lightning. The same year, on 8 October, a flood from the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

caused damage to the buildings at the Louroux. Jules-Paul de Lionne, abbot in charge of Marmoutier's ministry at the time, was authorized to cut down a 250-year-old Louroux

high forest A high forest is a type of forest originated from seed or from planted seedlings. In contrast to a low forest (also known as a coppice forest), a high forest usually consists of large, tall mature trees with a closed canopy. High forests can occu ...

behind the priory to cover the cost of reconstruction work. The following year, on 8 October 1708, Joseph Haranc (or Harane), then King's Councillor, Master of Waters and Forests of the Lochois region, and head of the L'Étang's seigneury, was commissioned to select the said grove. De Lionne's campaign is highlighted by an inscription engraved on the lintel of a window in the tithe barn: "Estait fils de Mr de Lionne Ministre d'Estat messire 1712, pavle de Lionne abbé 1712 Marmoutier". When

Louis, Count of Clermont Louis de Bourbon (15 June 1709 – 16 June 1771) was a member of the cadet branch of the then reigning House of Bourbon. He is known for leading French forces in Germany during the Seven Years' War where he took command in 1758 following th ...

took over as head of Marmoutier, he recognized that the seigneury and "château" of Le Louroux, together with an estate including a park of five to six acres, were the responsibility of the abbey. The park included 600 200-year-old trees, most of which had been decimated. Between 1721 and 1739, during the Bourbon-Condé's abbacy, several works were undertaken. The total cost was 4,447 livres. As early as 1721, Abbé Bourbon-Condé asked the King to allow him to cut down the bicentenary trees to finance the work. On 12 September,

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

agreed to this request. A document dated 27 September 1732, shows that repairs to the priory's bridge (referred to as the "château"), a cistern, and various other works were carried out thanks to the

adjudication Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between th ...

of a 200-hectare

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

grove in Louroux. The sale of the oak grove was authorized by Louis XV. For the Louroux complex, the late 1730s were marked by the merging (or addition) of the episcopal mense of Marmoutier with the Archdiocese of Tours. By 1739, Bourbon-Condé had relinquished his position as abbot. On 11 December, Louis-Jacques Chapt de Rastignac succeeded in bringing Marmoutier's Abbey under the jurisdiction of the diocesan see of Tours, thanks to a

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

issued by Pope

Clement XII Pope Clement XII (; ; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the growth of a surplus in the papal ...

. From then on, the priory and its grounds came under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Tours. The second barn, in

classical style Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De architectura'' (c. 10 AD) by the Roman architect Vitruvius. Va ...

, was built between 1750 and 1752.

Leases and sales as national property

In 1760, the land of the Louroux was

lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

d for 4,200

. Then, in 1763, the "seigneury" of the Louroux, which included the priory buildings, four ponds, two tenant farms, tithe revenues, and terraces, was the subject of a "general" lease in return for a total payment of 4,780 livres. The major part of the

payment was made by a couple for 4,200 livres, with the remainder divided between the parish priest for 500 livres, the

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

for 50, and the

procurator fiscal A procurator fiscal (pl. ''procurators fiscal''), sometimes called PF or fiscal (), is a public prosecutor in Scotland, who has the power to impose fiscal fines. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland (similar to a corone ...

for 25. A document from the Touraine archbishopric dated 1774 states that the Louroux land, castellany, and seigneury was leased in 1769 for 4,200 livres. The lease of the Louroux was renewed on 17 November 1784, for a period of nine years, expiring in 1793, and was signed by the archbishop of the time, Joachim François Mamert de Conzié. Montoux 1978, p. 702. A lease signed in 1784 details the real assets that made up the Louroux estate before the revolutionary events. The property consisted of the "château", which included a "turret,

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

rooms, bakeries and other conveniences, and two courtyards". The first courtyard housed the mews, a vast barn, stables, and a

sheepfold A pen is a fenced/walled open-air enclosure for holding land animals in captivity, typically for livestock but may also be used for holding other domesticated animals such as pets that are unwanted inside buildings. The term describes types o ...

with tiled and slate roofs, as well as a vegetable garden "adjacent to and successive to the said château". The deed of the property lease also provides an inventory of the grounds of the Louroux, which include four ponds -Le Grand Etang, covering an area of 200 arpents, Etang de Beaulieu, Etang de Gousset, covering an area of 60 arpents, and Etang de Mauregard- alongside the "métairie de Beauvais". The contractual provisions were rounded out by

corvée Corvée () is a form of unpaid forced labour that is intermittent in nature, lasting for limited periods of time, typically only a certain number of days' work each year. Statute labour is a corvée imposed by a state (polity), state for the ...

(forced labour) performed by residents of the lourousian parish, as well as hallage, butchery and cabaret rights. In addition, at the end of the rental contract, farmers are obliged to "leave the dovecote properly and densely populated with sixty dozen pigeons". They are also obliged to provide food and lodging for the Intendant of Marmoutier and his servant when he stays at the Louroux, and for the Bailli on court days. The contract specifies that tenants cannot claim compensation in the event of hail, flood, or drought. In addition, the annual rental price is set at 4,200 livres, which can be paid in two instalments. In 1790, revenues generated by the priory and all its tenant farms were valued at 6,600 livres. However, the priory and its estate were seized as national property, and on 1 December, a first offer was made to buy it. However, it wasn't until 2 May 1791, that the Louroux estate was sold. The sale price was set at 56,000 livres, plus 16,200 livres in payment for the Beauvais tenant farm. Montoux 1978, p. 703.

Contemporary period

Succession of private ownership

The purchaser of the Louroux estate, Robert Godeau, a citizen of Loches and "premier suppléant au tribunal" and "inspecteur des eaux et des forêts", paid in several installments, the last of which was dated 7

prairial Prairial () was the ninth month A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, that is approximately as long as a natural phase cycle of the Moon; the words ''month'' and ''Moon'' are cognates. The traditional concept of months arose with the ...

An III (26 May 1795, in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

). In the early 1820s, the painter

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( ; ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French people, French Romanticism, Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: ...

began to make several visits to the Louroux, to visit his brother

Charles-Henri Delacroix Charles-Henri Delacroix (; 9 January 1779 – 30 December 1845) was a French soldier who became a general in the Napoleonic army. He was the older brother of the painter Eugène Delacroix. Family background Charles-Henri Delacroix was born in Pa ...

, who owned a country house there. During one of his visits, Delacroix drew a sketch of the priory, the only known iconography of the fortified complex. When Godeau died on 17 March 1842, his eldest son and daughter inherited the lourousien estate. The two Godeau children entered into a transaction in 1861, selling the Louroux estate in exchange for a tenant farm located astride the communes of Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois and Saint-Épain. In addition to the priory buildings, the Louroux estate comprised the Beauvais tenant farm and four ponds, covering a total surface area of 217 ha. Jules Mourruau became the owner of the priory and its estate in 1913, following a donation-partage agreement signed on 22 December. The Mourruau family still owned the lourousian complex in the 1970s. Montoux 1978, p. 704.

Heritage protection and restoration campaign

The fortified site, in particular the logis prieural, was used as a set for the filming of ''Mauregard'', a

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

directed by

Claude de Givray Claude de Givray (born 7 April 1933) is a French film director and screenwriter. In 1960 he was co-director with François Truffaut for '' Tire-au flanc''. He directed the 1965 film '' Un mari à un prix fixe'', which starred Anna Karina. He wa ...

. On 19 December 1973, via ministerial decree, the church of Saint-Sulpice was listed on the ''Inventaire supplémentaire des

monuments historiques () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' (supplementary inventory of historic monuments). A year and a half later, on 20 May 1975, it was the turn of the dovecote, as well as the façades and roofs of the feudal farm buildings, to be listed on the general inventory."Ancienne ferme abbatiale"archive
on the ''Mérimée'' database, Ministère de la Culture (accessed 20 July 2018). In the first half of the 1990s, the town council acquired the abbey farm's buildings and the adjoining estate. In August 2002, artist

Yves Charnay Yves Charnay (born January 25, 1942, in Saint-Chamond, Loire) is a French Light Artist and painter. About The artist deals in recent times mainly with light installations, perspective art works and paintings. Some of his works are displayed in ...

created a plastic arts light display at the priory, entitled ''L'azur en pré fleurit''. Two years later, on 31 December 2004, the last tenant farmer left the priory. The following year, in 2005, the Communauté de communes du Grand Ligueillois initiated a campaign to restore the structures. The restoration campaign was carried out in two phases. The whole project was spread over a four-year period. Saint-Jouan 2009, p. 106. The restoration work was led by Arnaud de Saint-Jouan, chief architect for historic monuments. The first phase began in July 2007 and was completed in December 2008. This first phase focused on the restoration of the Gothic barn, certain elements of the priory's residence, and the barn, as well as the restoration of the perimeter wall, under the auspices of an association governed by the French law of 1901. The development of the monastery buildings into a "local tourism hub" was envisaged for 2012. And in 2013, as part of the cultural, heritage and town-planning development of the Louroux, the Communauté de communes du Grand Ligueillois' tourism commission, launched a new project for the former priory buildings. The project consisted of housing the conservatory of clerical vestments in the barn; setting up a research and documentation center, a conference room, and permanent exhibitions in the barn built in the 15th century; as well as setting up an

artistic residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

and permanent exhibitions in the prior's residence; with the classical-era barn and inner courtyard dedicated to theatrical and other cultural events. The project also includes the installation of a

botanical Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

for local species in the garden and kitchen garden adjoining the former lourousian fortified complex. The turret was restored in the mid-2010s."Réfection de la tourelle du prieuré du Louroux", ''La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest'', 25 July 2015
read onlinearchive
accessed 15 April 2019). And, in July 2015, the

Communauté de Communes A (, "community of communes") is a federation of municipalities (communes) in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together. It is the least-integrated form of ''intercommunalité'' (intercommunality). As of 1 J ...

voted to refurbish the building. Work on the small tower included replacing the wall plates, restoring the

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as Beam (structure), steel beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof Roof shingle, shingles, ...

s and repairing the mortise and tenon joints. The priory, which "offers a complex architectural evolution from the 12th – 13th centuries to the 19th century", has a "little-known building history". However, recent dendrochronological studies of timber and joinery have made it possible to date the buildings of the Touraine monastery. Restoration and rehabilitation work in the 2000s helped to safeguard this "monument to multiple architectures". In the 2010s, the Louroux priory opened up to tourism, specifically in June 2013, during an agricultural festival, where the Louroux complex welcomed around 1,300 visitors, and in June 2015 several themed guided tours were organized there, followed by an arts festival in September 2017.

Buildings and structures

Overview

The priory stands like a "

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

" on a north-east/south-west axis. Surrounded by a fortified wall, its

is irrigated by water from the Louroux ponds. The site is characterized by a 3 m difference in elevation: the highest point is at the entrance to the church, while the lowest point is at the

on the northern side. The surrounding wall, including curtain walls and

turrets Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * ...

, has an enclosed area of over 5,500 m² – 5,600 m² according to calculations by Élisabeth Lorans and Edward Impey, and 5,700 m² according to Arnaud de Saint-Jouan. The courtyard of the residence, on the east side, covers an area of 2,500 m², while the

forecourt Forecourt may refer to: * a courtyard at the front of a building * in racket sports, the front part of the court * the area in a filling station containing the fuel pumps * chamber tomb forecourt This article describes several characteristic arch ...

, on the west side, covers an area of 3,700 m². At the time of the purchase in the early 1910s, all the land included in the priory property covered a total area of around 200 hectares or 230 hectares, and the estate occupied an area of 2,000 hectares. The dovecote is located outside the fortified enclosure, to the north, Montoux 1978, p. 694. on the other side of the Echandon River, within a garden. It is surrounded to the north, east, and west by the remains of a garden fence. Inside the wall, the

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the ...

and outbuildings occupy a central position, with the church nearby. Montoux 1978, p. 695. All the buildings are arranged around a courtyard bordered to the south by the church. Impey and Lorans 1988, p. 160-161. The prior's residence, to the northeast, runs parallel to the barn, dividing the inner courtyard into two parts. Between the residence and the church stood a Romanesque building, of which only a few vestiges remain. The livestock buildings are located to the north of the forecourt, opposed by the second, or " classical", barn in the southern part. The 3 to 5 m gap between the southern part of the tithe barn and the western part of the church allows passage from the courtyard to the forecourt. Saint-Jouan 2009, p. 103.

The Prior's residence

The residence consists of a main building with a rectangular

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

. The building is set between two "rondelis" (or ramp) gable walls whose sides form an acute angle. Saint-Jouan 2009, p. 105. A

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

sits atop one of the two gable walls. Montoux 1978, p. 696. The architectural style of the residence is that of a "traditional

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

". In addition to the rondelis gables, the building features an

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

-dressed spiral staircase (attached to the main building) facing west, and chimney flues rising high above the roof on the south side. The residence is linked to the northeast enclosure turret by a main building featuring a short gallery on the second floor. This gallery ends in a lincrusted vault with flashings that resemble

branch A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins. History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...

es. The spiral staircase takes the form of a polygonal tower with ashlar dressings. The tower, built during the 15th century, is pierced by three rectangular openings, two of which are located on the lower floors and feature an

ogee An ogee ( ) is an object, element, or curve—often seen in architecture and building trades—that has a serpentine- or extended S-shape (Sigmoid curve, sigmoid). Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combination of two semicircle, semicircula ...

arch. One of its sides forms a base for the west-facing wall. A column, topped by an eight-sided

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

and supported by the staircase

newel A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar around which a helical staircase winds. It can also refer to an upright post that supports or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post") ...

, supports a ceiling made of large slabs. Access to the polygonal tower is via a door framed by a rectilinear

lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...

. This entrance is set within a forebay

aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...

topped by a triangular

gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof c ...

. The tower and main body are connected by a rectangular

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: * Gallery (surname), a surname Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery ** Online art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ' ...

(or open

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

). The gallery consists of a wooden frame resting on a wall pierced by two semicircular arches, with protruding sommiers. The architectural style of the arches is typical of the 16th and 17th centuries, while the carpentry of this ''

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

'' is made up of posts and

joist A joist is a horizontal structural member used in Framing (construction), framing to span an open space, often between Beam (structure), beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members. When incorporated into a floor framing system, joi ...

s that, according to dendrochronological dating, were cut down around the middle of the 15th century (between 1440 and 1462). The chronological difference between the carpentry and the masonry can only be explained in two ways: either the gallery was re-worked during the 16th and 17th centuries, or the carpentry elements were re-used. The

basement A basement is any Storey, floor of a building that is not above the grade plane. Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the Furnace (house heating), furnace, water heating, ...

houses a cellar with

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

es located on the east side. It features massive beams to support the floor weight. Montoux 1978, p. 697. The cellar of the residence is connected to two other cellars, with

vaulted In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

ceilings on wooden beams, dug out below the courtyard. The passageway between the basement of the dwelling and the two courtyard cellars is provided by a staircase to the west, consisting of just a few steps. The two cellars, which form a right angle, feature a semicircular vault in the first cellar and a

pointed arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown meet at an angle at the top of the arch. Also known as a two-centred arch, its form is derived from the intersection of two circles. This architectural element was partic ...

vault in the second. As a result of the building's many construction projects, its masonry is quite heterogeneous. The east-facing facade, overlooking the moat, features a consistent, homogeneous architectural style. It is fitted with Renaissance-style dormer windows. Towards the end of the 19th century, the upper section of the building is said to have suffered a fire. However, studies of the masonry structures and structural beams revealed no evidence of this event. Instead, an extensive restoration campaign was carried out on the building in the early 20th century. Most of the work was focused on the façade walls and the

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

. When the

scaffolding Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other human-made structures. Scaffolds are widely u ...

was set up against the thick, trapezoidal east wall, the poor condition of its brickwork and the dormer windows that top it were revealed. In addition, behind the

brickwork Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by ...

on the upper level, the project revealed a wall consisting of

timber framing Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

with steeply sloping overhangs. The carpentry work is supported by overhanging

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

, combined with a molded ashlar entablature. At an undetermined date, this carpentry work, which was in a state of considerable rot at the time, was entirely preserved, then covered with brick cladding. On the first level, the façade is illuminated by 3 windows, the central one of which has been redesigned and is significantly narrower than the other two. Remains of transoms indicate that the left and right windows were once equipped with

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

s. However, the

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s with

capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

adorning these two windows are still in place. The eastern façade features 5 Renaissance-style stone dormers. Each dormer is topped by a

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

and adorned with a terracotta candelabra on its side. Prior to this, at the beginning of the 20th century, only two wooden dormers crowned the east façade. The residence is the building with the oldest visible masonry structures. This is most apparent on the west side, where the walls are adorned with windows with

semicircular In mathematics (and more specifically geometry), a semicircle is a one-dimensional locus of points that forms half of a circle. It is a circular arc that measures 180° (equivalently, radians, or a half-turn). It only has one line of symmetr ...

arches. A corner buttress supports the extension of the west façade. The western façade, whose second floor is noticeably set back from the first floor, has been altered several times. The roof of the residence rests on a herringbone-patterned rafter framework, whose beams, each numbered in ascending order from north to south, are derived from trees cut down in 1519. The wood from the planks on the first and second floors comes from trees cut in 1522. In addition, dendrochronological expertise shows that the timber elements making up the paneling on the east façade were cut during the same period, i.e. in 1520. Although some of the original masonry (11th century) has been preserved, these results show that the residence was almost completely rebuilt during the Renaissance.

Lost Romanesque building

A Romanesque building, no longer in existence, once complimented the west façade of the prieural dwelling. Several elements attest to the existence of this ancient structure. The first is a section of wall running east–west. This thick remnant extends northwest of the residence. The second element is the presence of two typically Romanesque buttresses that support the northwest corner of the main building. The third element is a Romanesque double-arched openings, approximately 2.50 m high and located to the left of the double buttress, the study of which revealed that its

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of Age of Gunpowder, gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a sp ...

had been altered. This alteration consisted of narrowing the opening to the same thickness as the wall. This opening, later partitioned, may have been fitted with a second embrasure. Other clues attest to the existence of this Romanesque building: the presence of

voussoir A voussoir ( UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Acces ...

s, traces of which can still be seen near the entrance to the residence, as well as a little further north, the latter possibly suggesting the construction of a doorway that was later blocked off; a very narrow projection just one meter above the floor of the first story, which most probably marks the top of the Romanesque building and indicates the narrowing of the party wall; or even the vestiges of two Romanesque doors overhung by an arched bay and set into the masonry mass under the porch of the main building. Impey et Lorans 1988, p. 162. The small size of the double-arched openings on the northwest façade of the residence may have been used to light the interior of a cellar. However, other clues tend to confirm the hypothesis that this Romanesque building was a "

". Although the period of construction of the Romanesque building has been established -in other words, towards the end of the 11th and beginning of the 13th centuries- its metrical characteristics have not been determined. The Romanesque building could be the aula built by Abbot Hugues Des Roches. This medieval building was not only embedded in the lower western part of the residence, but also connected to the church via its bell tower. However, the layout of the residence in relation to the church, rules out the hypothesis that the Romanesque structure was a

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

The church

Architecture and description

The church, dedicated to Saint Sulpice, has a single

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. Rectangular in

shape A shape is a graphics, graphical representation of an object's form or its external boundary, outline, or external Surface (mathematics), surface. It is distinct from other object properties, such as color, Surface texture, texture, or material ...

, the nave is dated to the 13th century, or perhaps earlier. The main body of the building is adorned with four asymmetrically arranged arched piédroits, two on each side. The upper part of the nave ends in a paneled vault. This vaulted ceiling is reinforced by a Gothic-style roof structure with exposed king posts and tie beams. The interior of the church has not been altered for several decades. The church portal has been restored and features a single

archivolt An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental Molding (decorative), moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, ...

. The rectangular

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

was probably rebuilt in the 18th century, then equipped with an altarpiece in the following century. It ends in a flat chevet-apse. The choir is supported by two buttresses: one to the north, and one to the south. The southern façade of the building features a doorway leading to the former cemetery. Three inscriptions are engraved on the choir's external

keystones A keystone (or capstone) is the wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allo ...

. The first reads: "''L'an 1657 la grosse cloche fut refaicte''". The second inscription reads "''Le moi de may 1702, le clocher a été recouvert à neuf''". The third inscription reads: "''L'an 1711, l'altel du chœur fut refait le jour de Pâques béni''". These three inscriptions document several phases of the church's construction, including the rebuilding of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

in the early 1710s. An

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

was added to the choir as an avant-corps. Built in the 17th century, the apse is enclosed by a stone vault in the shape of a basket handle. The bell tower, like the nave's southern wall, dates from the 13th century. The tower has a square floor layout. The

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

, dating from the same period as the nave, is set into the north gable wall. The north façade of the nave was rebuilt around the beginning of the 17th century, probably as a result of damage caused by

troops in 1598. The bell tower's impact is absorbed by two buttresses on its western facade, extending up to the level of the

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

, as well as by a pair of lateral buttresses, lower in height and angled. It is also possible that a

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the Tribune of the Plebs, tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs ac ...

, incorporated between two buttresses, was built over the nave. Apart from two arrow slits in its base, the bell tower has no other openings, a feature that "gives it the appearance of a

keep A keep 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 castles that were fortified residen ...

". Within the tower, traces indicate that a former high window, probably designed to monitor access to the building, had been blocked up. An upstairs door, also bricked up, gave access to the curtain wall linking the bell tower to the Renaissance barn. A series of arches and the remnants of beams that formed the framework of a staircase connecting the bricked-up door to the first floor of the bell tower are still clearly visible. The upper levels are marked by distinctive

battlement A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

s. The penultimate level is enlightened by two bays, one to the north and the second to the south. The floor containing the

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

, which may have been built at the same time as the rest of the bell tower (early 13th century), has four

blind arcade Blind often refers to: * The state of blindness, being unable to see * A window blind, a covering for a window Blind may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Blind'' (1987 film), a documentary by Frederick Wiseman about t ...

s, one on each side.

Furnishing

The church's furnishings include three items listed in the supplementary inventory of historical monuments. The first is a

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...

wooden statue of Christ on the Cross. Carved in the 17th century, the bust is particularly well-modeled. The figure's eyelids are closed, his head is bent, nestled between his shoulders, and his legs are slightly bent. The work was added to the list by decree of 29 November 1978. The second object is a stone

tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

with two lateral

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...

. It consists of a base and an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

that extends along its entire length. Above the entablature is an

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

, or

ambry An ambry (or ''almery'', ''aumbry''; from the medieval form ''almarium'', cf. Lat. ''armārium'', "a place for keeping tools"; cf. O. Fr. ''aumoire'' and mod. armoire) is a recessed cabinet in the wall of a Christianity, Christian church (building) ...

, with a "beveled" front, similar to that of the side panels. Each front, framed by ornaments with plant motifs carved in

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

, has a niche. Each niche houses the effigy of a saint -one representing Saint Sulpice, the other

Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealth ...

- also carved in bas-relief.Guy Du Chazaud,
tabernacle architecturé, retable, fragments de statues: saint Antoine; saint Sulpicearchive
on the ''Palissy'' database, Ministère de la Culture, 26 January 2011 (accessed 6 August 2018). The entablature is supported by leaning columns at each corner of the tabernacle. These columns feature classical-style capitals. The altarpiece, in painted wood, is divided into 3 segments by pilasters with Doric capitals. The entablature is crowned by a pediment, whose top opens onto a

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', 'little moon') is a crescent- or half-moon–shaped or semi-circular architectural space or feature, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be ...

aligned with the axis of the middle bay. The wide, projecting central bay takes the form of a rectangular panel adorned with molding. Each side bay features a niche resting on a

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

, topped by a lunette-shaped pediment decorated with a shell at the top. Made in 1711 and 1729, the ensemble was listed as a historic object on 9 April 1998. The third piece is a

monstrance A monstrance, also known as an ostensorium (or an ostensory), is a vessel used in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, High Church Lutheran and Anglican churches for the display on an altar of some object of piety, such as the consecrated Eucharisti ...

crafted in

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

using the

repoussé and chasing ''Repoussé'' () or ''repoussage'' () is a metalworking technique in which a malleable metal is shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design in low relief. Chasing (French: '' ciselure'') or embossing is a similar technique i ...

techniques, then

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

with gold leaves. The base of the monstrance is square, decorated with a "mystical" lamb plus geometric and vegetal motifs.Guy Du Chazaud,
ostensoirarchive
on the ''Palissy'' database, Ministry of Culture, 6 January 2011 (accessed 6 August 2018). The base rests on four

feet The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is an organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of ...

in the shape of clawed paws. The stem takes the form of an angel with outstretched wings, index finger pointing upwards and feet resting on a globe. The upper part consists of a gloire encircling a decoration of cherubs and ears of wheat, with glassware at the center. The object, made in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century, was included in the list by a decree dated 29 April 1998.

The thithe barn

The structures that make up the tithe barn are architecturally coherent. The building has undergone very few alterations, and all share the same architectural style –

. The building was constructed in a single, fast-paced operation by numerous masons and carpenters. The ground layout of the barn is in the form of an irregular quadrilateral, with only the northwest and northeast corners at right angles. The roof has two steeply inclined sides. It is supported by a hull-shaped wooden framework. This assemblage of wood pieces is made out of 43

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as Beam (structure), beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so ...

es and a purlin roof measuring over 10 m in length. Saint-Jouan 2009, p. 104. In addition to the first floor, the building has three upper stories topped by an attic. The attic runs the full length of the building and has no partitions. The third floor has a

parquet Parquet (; French for "a small compartment") is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect in flooring. Parquet patterns are often entirely geometrical and angular—squares, triangles, lozenges—but may contain curves. T ...

floor made of

tongue-and-groove Tongue and groove is a method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with wood, in flooring, parquetry, panelling, and similar constructions. A strong joint, it allows two flat pieces to be joined strongly together to mak ...

strips held together with wooden pegs and

forged Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...

nails. The third floor, contemporary with the framework, fits between the "rafter-shaped barns" (also known as " triangle-shaped barns"),Jean-Yves Chauvet, chap. 11 "Les charpentes", in ''Éveil à la maison paysanne, Délégation des maisons paysannes de France'', coll. "Maisons Paysannes du Loiret", 2012
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DF. and the king posts. From its earliest days, the "barn" was intended for domestic use. Few openings have been made on the east façade, which faced the courtyard. In addition, no evidence of chimney elements has been found within the building. However, the third floor of the building probably housed the monastic dormitory. The first and second floors are adorned with

ed windows, while four

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...

windows -two on the west and two on the east- topped with triangular

s and devoid of moldings, appear at the top of the façades. The two east-facing dormers are no longer crowned with their

wimperg In Gothic architecture, a wimperg is a gable-like crowning over portals and windows and is also called an ''ornamental gable''. Outside of immediate architecture, the wimperg is also found as a motif in Gothic carving. Etymology The word has ...

. However, their

s are adorned with an ogee arch. At its mid-point, the north gable wall is reinforced by a massive

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

with an inclined upper section. This wall is adorned with high windows on each floor. The south

gable wall A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

was provided with an entrance opening onto an allure, which was connected to the first floor of the church tower. The portion of the wall crowned by the allure was itself provided with an entrance opening onto a

porch A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (architecture), vestibule (a s ...

. This door allowed passage between the courtyard and the forecourt. According to Saint-Jouan, the chief architect of historic monuments, this allure may have been intended to monitor traffic between the two inner courtyards. Traces of the torn-off masonry section framing the porch, probably a pillar, can still be seen from the

foundations Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

to halfway up the southwest corner of the southern gable wall. Remnants of a wall section, which dated back to before the barn was built, can still be seen at basement level, in the form of a

mortar Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...

- coated

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

block. The entrance to the barn, adjacent to the former allure leading to the bell tower, has not been obstructed. A spiral

staircase A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway ...

, incorporated into the southwest corner of the building, provides access to different levels. The original staircase, whose thick treads are now disjointed, is made entirely of oak. On the third level, the stairwell is made up of elaborate panels. Apart from the door leading to the stairwell, the first floor had no other access point. The masonry on the first floor was remodeled in the second half of the 16th century when the priory was transformed into an agricultural establishment. The two main levels were used to store cereal grain.

Graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

, inscribed in the form of a series of bars, testifies to the activity of accounting for the sacks of grain stored in the building.Jean-Mary Couderc and Béatrice Ledet, "Introduction à l'étude des graffitis", ''bulletin de la Société archéologique de Touraine'', t. 45, 1999, p. 913
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accessed 15 April 2019). The goods were probably stored beyond the load-bearing capacity of the two stories, resulting in deformation of the beams. Only one of the posts erected in the 15th century has survived. The others were replaced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by beams spanning 7.25 m at right angles to the walls, to better contain their loads. The traces of this redesign can be seen in the layout of the central main beams. Their length and the diameter of their

anchors An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anchor ...

had been reduced. All the

structural system The term structural system or structural frame in structural engineering refers to the load-resisting sub-system of a building or object. The structural system transfers loads through interconnected elements or members. Commonly used structu ...

, including the framework and floor, and the

light work Light Work is a photography center in Syracuse, New York. The artist-run nonprofit supports photographers through a community-access digital lab facility, residencies, exhibitions, and publications. History The organization is housed at Sy ...

, comprising the staircase, third-floor stairwell panels,

joinery Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives ...

and hardware, and parquet flooring, are original.

Enclosing wall

The wall was equipped with four corner turrets and an additional four lateral

on the northwest and southeast sides. Currently, only four of these eight turrets are still intact. The corner tower at the northeast corner features a wooden structure dating from the 18th century. This corner tower closely defends the north gable wall of the priory residence. The remains of a former

latrine A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground ( pit latrine), or ...

can still be seen in the section of curtain wall linking these two structures, at the junction point in the southern extension of the garden fence. These latrine remains overhang a postern in the lower part of the defensive structure. This postern, protected by a

murder hole A murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could shoot, throw or pour harmful substances or objects such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime, ...

that has been partitioned off, is equipped with a

. A Renaissance medallion adorns the masonry just above the postern. The drawbridge is located on the northeast side. Grooves for the lift arms (chains) of the defensive drawbridge still mark the walls surrounding the postern. The

Jamb In architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and cons ...

still stands in front of a building, with the slot for the deck's axle still visible in the base walls. The

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end that provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

containing the bridge loads also remains. The bridge is defended by two lateral towers pierced with murder holes, one of which has been assigned to a house and the second to a servitude. The curtain wall connecting the second tower, which surrounds the drawbridge, and the southeast corner tower, which has been destroyed, is also flanked by another tower with a

identical to the others. The entrance to the enclosure is via a gateway a few meters from its southwest corner. The gate is defended by two partially dismantled turrets. The cemetery to the south of the church is enclosed by a section of wall. This southern section, defended by a corner tower and a side tower, extends further west to form the southern wall of the Classical barn. The north-western wall and one of its flanking side turrets (half its length) remain relatively intact. The north-western corner turret, whose

are the only visible remains, is part of a modern residence and protrudes from the bridge. To the east of the northern wall is the standing bridge, allowing dry passage over the Echandon river. This military structure was covered with cobblestones, some of which still remain.

Dovecote

The dovecote is circular in design, with an external diameter of around eight meters. The walls are one meter thick. They are made of

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...

stone- faced with

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

. The interior of the building, preserved in its original state, is equipped with a rotating shaft and a ladder for climbing up to the height of the boulins (nest hole). The boulins are made of ashlar. They are divided into 5 different-sized niches, staggered from top to bottom. There are around 1,400 niches. Beneath the two highest rows are four rows -one of which is incomplete- built in terracotta, with circular niches. The wooden-framed roof surmounts a thin cornice. The roof is illuminated by three dormer windows.

Other buildings and structures

The Classical-style barn, built against the southern perimeter wall, dates from the 17th to 18th centuries. It is rectangular in outline, with a central avant-corps on the northern façade. Its carpentry is based on trees chopped down in 1752. The entrance portal, framed by a wooden lintel, opens via wooden casements. These pieces of timber, like the four crossbeams making up the roof structure, date back to the 15th century and have recently been reused. Next to the entrance to the polygonal tower of the residence, the remnant of an old

well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

, a margelle, remains. Circular in shape, with a diameter of more than 1 m, the margelle incorporates a salient in the shape of an animal's head, allowing the water to drain away. The livestock buildings are adjacent to the left end of the west façade of the 15th-century barn. Built in the 19th and 20th centuries, they flank the northern wall of the enclosure.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Jacques-Xavier Carré de Busserolle, "Le Louroux", in ''Dictionnaire géographique, historique et biographique d'Indre-et-Loire et de l'ancienne province de Touraine'', t. IV, Société archéologique de Touraine, 1882
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. * Arnaud de Saint-Jouan, "Le Louroux (Indre-et-Loire). Présentation générale du prieuré", ''Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Touraine'', Société archéologique de Touraine, t. 55, 2009
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accessed 19 July 2018). * Edward Impey and Élisabeth Lorans, "Prieuré du Louroux : Origine et évolution", ''Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Touraine'', Société archéologique de Touraine, t. 42, 1988
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accessed 19 July 2018). * Charles Loiseau de Grandmaison, "Prieuré et seigneurie du Louroux", in Charles Loiseau de Grandmaison, ''Archives ecclésiastiques antérieures à 1790: inventaire sommaire de la série H – Clergé régulier – H1 987'', Archives départementales de Tours, 1891, 358 p.
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DF, p. 283 and 284. * Émile Mabille, ''Catalogue analytique des diplômes, chartes et actes relatifs à l'histoire de Touraine – Collection Dom Housseau'', t. XIV, Société archéologique de Touraine, coll. "Mémoires de la Société archéologique de Touraine", 1863
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. * André Montoux, "L'ensemble médiéval du Louroux", ''Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Touraine'', Société archéologique de Touraine, t. 38, 1978
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accessed 19 July 2018).

External links

* Ressource relative à l'architecture
Mérimée
*

sur le site de la ''commune du Louroux''. *

sur le site de la ''commune du Louroux''. *

sur le site de la ''commune du Louroux''. * Pierre Marie Danquigny,
Le Louroux : Le prieuréarchive
sur le site ''litteratur'', 13 juillet 2017, p. 5. * [vidéo
Le prieuré du Lourouxarchive
sur ''YouTube'' (narration et réalisation de Fabrice Le Goff, textes d'Élisabeth Van der Motte, 2017). {{authority control Feudalism in Europe French Wars of Religion Architectural conservation Benedictine Confederation Churches in Indre-et-Loire Gothic architecture Romanesque architecture