Durtal is a French commune located in the department of Maine-et-Loire, in the Pays de la Loire region. An Angevin town of Baugeois, Durtal is located north-west of Les Rairies, on the D 59, D859 and D 323 (N 23) roads. The Loir crosses the southern part of its territory.
Durtal was awarded three flowers at the Flower Towns and Villages
Competition (2011 prize list).
Saint-Léonard chapel, built in
1096 by the monks of Saint-Serge d'Angers.
Château Bosset
Le château Bosset est un château situé à Durtal, en France. Le château est situé dans le département français de Maine-et-Loire, sur la commune de Durtal.
Château de Chambiers
The Château de Chambiers is a castle located in the town of
Durtal in Maine-et-Loire. The Château de Chambiers built on
foundations dating from the 15th century was rebuilt at the
beginning of the 18th century and extended in the 19th century. It
once belonged to the parish of Saint-Léonard de Durtal.
Hunting meeting point at Château de Durtal, owned by the La
Rochefoucauld family who separated from it on their return from
emigration, the estate was sold in 1882 and then had 801 hectares,
including 570 hectares of forest. In 1912 it became the property of
Count Marc de Courtis3, grandfather of the current owners.
The 900 hectare property consists of part of the Chambiers forest,
ponds and farms and is surrounded by a 30 hectare English park. In
the gardens open to visitors, you can discover an Italian garden, a
rose garden, a French garden and the park. Today, the castle has
been converted into luxury family guest rooms and allows the
organization of weddings or seminars.
Château de Durtal
Durtal Castle is a castle located in Durtal, in the
Maine-et-Loire department. It was classified as a historical
monument in 1900 (castle) and 1950 (Porte de Veron). Hostilities
between the counties of Anjou and Maine prompted Foulque Nerra to
lay the first foundations of Durtal castle in 1040. Built on a rocky
promontory, this feudal fortress was a strategic rampart to ensure
the defense of its lands. In the middle of the eleventh century, his
son Geoffroy de Martel completed the construction of the castle.
The current castle dates from the 15th century, after the
Hundred Years War. It was built by the La Jaille family.
It
is one of the residences of Marshal of France François de Scépaux
and, a century later, of Henri de Schomberg. The castle receives
visits from members of the royal family and the court and houses
King René, Charles IX, Henry II.
The multiplication of trade
through the Dormouse in the 16th century led to the gradual
enrichment of the region and the heyday of the castle, which marked
the beginning of a transformation into a palace where Louis XIII and
Marie de Médicis stayed. In the 17th century, the Duc de la
Rochefoucauld made the castle one of his many residences.
In
1859, the castle housed the city hospital, served by the sisters of
Sainte-Marie d'Angers. The transformation mutilates certain rooms
and certain interior decorations.
Several artists were
seduced by the majesty of the place - the painter Alexis Axilette
(1860-1931) from Durtal - Raoul Dufy friend of Axilette - Lucien
Jonas (1880-1947) stayed at La Flèche, from 1932, and produced
several paintings representing the castle overlooking Le Loir. Joël
Baudouin (1931-2013) painter, ceramist, sculptor, represents the
castle several times. In 2007, the castle was bought by the
politician Alain Suguenot and his family.
Architecture
The
architecture of Château de Durtal draws on the various artistic
movements characteristic of Europe in the fifteenth, sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. In reality, they are two castles in one: a
feudal castle in Romanesque style clearly referring to the defensive
function it originally had and a castle later converted into a
summer residence and fitted out according to the canons. of Gothic
architecture (Flamboyant Gothic and Preclassic).
The castle
covers an area of 5,600 m2 and is organized according to a
rectangular plan overlooked by two round towers. The first was built
in the 13th century and is located on the south-eastern facade. The
second tower, visible on the north-eastern facade of the castle, is
more recent (fourteenth century) and much more imposing. The yellow
ocher walls in Rairies stone and tufa contrast with the slate
roofing. Clay is mainly used for flues and terracotta tiles covering
the floor.
The architecture is typical of that of the castles
in the region. Some interior facades generously let in light through
double mullioned windows. This characteristic architectural element
of Flamboyant Gothic style can be found, for example, at the Château
de Baugé. In addition, the atypical position of the machicolations,
which are not positioned at the top of the towers but at a lower
level, turns out to be an element common to the castles of Langeais,
Plessis-Bourré and Brissac.
The interior of the castle houses
five oratories, four of which are entirely preserved, a gallery of
seventeenth century frescoes, a former prison, and one of the
largest homes in Europe where feasts organized in honor of the royal
family were prepared.
The neo-Romanesque Durtal church once
belonged to the castle. It was rebuilt in 1847 but everything
indicates that the first foundations date back to the eleventh
century.
Operation
Currently, the castle is open for tours
and offers guest rooms. It is possible to organize seminars,
receptions and weddings. It is also a performance venue for some
theater companies in the region.
Chateau de la Motte-Grollier
The Chateau de la Motte-Grollier is a castle located in Durtal, France. The castle is located in the French department of Maine-et-Loire, in the town of Durtal.
12th century Saint-Julien de Gouis church.
Notre-Dame Church
(built between 1047 and 1060): dedicated to Notre-Dame, the building
was first of all the chapel of the castle, then became the communal
church in the 19th century.
Manoir d'Auvers.
Manoir d'Auvers is a mansion located in Durtal, France. The manor house is located in the French department of Maine-et-Loire, in the town of Durtal.
Manoir de Serrain.
Le Manoir de Serrain is a mansion located in Durtal, France. The manor house is located in the French department of Maine-et-Loire, in the town of Durtal. The building was listed as a historical monument in 1985.
Verron gate.
Prehistory and Antiquity
Several discoveries show a
prehistoric and Celtic occupation of the territory of the town:
several axes in polished stone, bronze axes with sockets, heels and
fins, fragments of axes, swords and a point of spear, a bracelet and
a bronze deer from the La Tène III period. The place called the
Great Stone could designate an ancient megalithic site. The old
occupation of the place could have been linked to a crossing point
on the Loir.
Middle Ages
The creation of the town is
linked to the foundation of the fortress of Durtal in 1040 by the
count of Anjou Foulques Nerra.
In the Middle Ages, Durtal
depended on the senechaussee of Baugé. The seigneury (barony) was
associated for a very long time with that of Matheflon.
Old
regime
Under the Ancien Régime and until the French Revolution,
Durtal depended on the country of election of La Flèche.
Contemporary period
Between 1790 and 1794, Durtal merged with the
neighboring municipalities of Gouis and Saint-Léonard-de-Durtal.