Château de Serrant

The Serrant Castle is located near the French town of Saint- Georges- sur -Loire in the department of Maine -et -Loire.

Medieval fortress

Castle Serrant belonged since the 14th century the noble family of Le Brie. Pontus Le Brie received from Louis XI. to build the permission here a fortress with a drawbridge, moat and massive corner towers, the medieval silhouette from then on dominated the landscape.

Conversion to a Renaissance castle

However, the present appearance of the castle building dates back to Charles de Brie, who was tempted by the artistic ideas of the Renaissance and wanted to rebuild the entire system from 1546. The contract was the architect Philibert Delorme, who had already carried out the daring wing of the castle Chenonceau over the Cher River. Due to financial difficulties but only the north tower, one half of the central residential tract and the adjoining wings could be built.

After Serrant had repeatedly changed hands in 1636 finally acquired the diplomat and esthete Guilaume de Bautru the estate. He and his son Guillaume complete the reconstruction according to the original plans: to about 1700 were the main wing, the south tower and two wings completed, the corner towers of the old system were replaced by two-story pavilions and eventually built the entrance to the central axis. As the last part of the plant in the early 18th century was a chapel, Jules Hardouin -Mansart attributed. Your most important piece of equipment is the marble tomb of Nicolas de Bautru, marquis de Vaubrun, commander of the French army. His wife had the tomb in 1677 when important sculptor at the court of Louis XIV, Antoine Coysevox ordered.

Family La Trémoille a married

1749 sold the last descendant Guillame de Bautrus ' Serrant the castle to the shipowner Antoine Walsh of Nantes. The family renovated the interior, designed the park in the English style and had built two pavilions and the consolation goal. In 1830, Valentine Walsh de Serrant married the Duke de la Trémoille, member of one of France's oldest noble families (see: House La Trémoille ). The Duke had the castle of Lucien Magne restore; from this period are some attachments such as the balustrade along the attic and around the towers as well as the family crest of La Trémoilles above the entrance.

Castle Serrant is still private property; current owners are the descendants of the La Trémoilles, Prince and Princess de Merode - Westerloo. They seek to the expansion and modernization of the interiors.

Stylistically uniform residence

Despite more than 100 years which elapsed between start and completion of Serrant, the castle today is a stylistically uniform residence; the three-winged complex with courtyard, corner pavilions and a mighty portal is bounded by a moat and is surrounded by a large park. The buildings consist mainly of brown shale; brighter tuff is outside decorative accents and dominated on the Hofseiten. From the time of Francis I. the pilasters of the facade has been adopted.

About the doppeltorigen entrance of the center wing rises a central body with a dormer window and its triangular gables. One of the side entrances to the park and side entrance to the residence is via the wide moat be crossed stone bridges, whose arcades resting on pillars with pyramidal expiring Vorköpfen.