Logis de Barroux

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The architecture of the main dwelling relates it to a set of main dwellings of similar importance located some tens of kilometres apart. Their plan is similar, with the same corner turrets, an entrance door and a staircase very close in character. In the Middle Ages, the seigneurie was held of Thouars. The building must have been enlarged in the 17th century, and decorated with paintings on the chimney breast and in the choir of the chapel. The main dwelling is placed at the corner of a courtyard enclosed by outbuildings. Towers formerly stood at the angles of this sort of enclosure. Only the dovecote tower, to the north-west, still exists. Access to the courtyard is by a double gateway comprising a carriage part and a pedestrian part. On either side of the courtyard, the outbuildings have retained roughly their 17th-century appearance, with doors of round arch and marked with clamps. Only part of the south wing, adjoining the main dwelling, was rebuilt no doubt in the 19th century. Main dwelling and outbuildings are built of small squared rubble stone. Only the door and window surrounds are in ashlar. The height of the roof was reduced during a reworking of the roof structure. Turrets at the angles still testify to a very feudal spirit. The interior preserves a type of staircase with a straight single flight with ramp on ramp, very frequent in the late 16th and early 17th century. In the ground-floor room, the chimney breast retains paintings. Similarly, on the floor above, the ceiling parts also bore a painted decoration of foliage and flowers. The chapel preserves a painted decoration. The nave, with a barrel vault, is scattered with stars which were to be painted on a blue background. In the stone retable, a large painting executed "a secco" on stone, was to represent a Virgin. On either side of this retable, are painted bouquets of flowers issuing from vases with rolled handles, placed in niches in trompe-l'oeil.