Welcome to Château des Noyers

A 16th / 17th Century Historical Monument
with megalithic remains.
Vignoble du Val de Loire

Presentation

A GLIMPE OF HISTORY

This superb Château with its shell-marl stone (a rare material in the Anjou region) watchtowers is located on a quadrilateral estate bordered on one side by the Canal de Monsieur. The canal joins the River Layon where Dutch store ships and "pinasses" moored to load Anjou wine back in the seventeenth century. The terroir's reputation draws on the region's "Très Riches Heure » (illuminated manuscript) that enraptured Rabelais, Ronsard and Du Bellay.

Indeed, as far back as the fifteenth century, King René wrote:
Of all the wines in my Cellar
(from) Anjou, Lorraine and Provence
he first mentioned is the best

Wines from the prestigious area surrounding the Layon are reputed for their high quality. The River Layon meanders trough a landscape of vineyards planted on sloping hillsides and fossil-rich shell marl plateaux.

ARCHITECTURAL OVERVIEW

Modernity of the façades :

The façades were inspired by the nascent classicism of the sixteenth century: balanced proportions, rigorous symmetry, fascia strip between stories, verticality of the bay openings, slightly protruding central body of the building, modillion type cornices between the dormer windows. Pilasters and pediment surrounding the main doorway. All these features were characteristic of the seventeenth century in France.

Traditional layout :

Namely the façade facing the rising sun, and, on each side of the stairs, two large rooms on the ground floor, two more on the first floor. Defensive features of bygone times were installed: two corbelled angle turrets fitted with gun slots, a central bartizan overhanging the main doorway (also usable for the purpose of clubbing intruders) of each façade,successive moats and large towers fitted.

THE RENAISSANCE FEATURES :

Barrel vaulted, double-flighted staircase and straight banisters on a newel wall. Other sixteenth century features include ceilings with apparent beams and joists, magnificent entrance balustrade with square balusters moulded in pear shape, beautiful small bridge with barrel-vaulted arch, bowling green with tall trees at each end.

WINERY STAIRCASE

This remarkable covered staircase, with its banisters and single flight in Italian gallery style ending in a loggia-landing (so rare in modern-day Anjou), led to the rooms situated above the winery. This was often the layout in the buildings of wealthy sixteenth-century wine growers.

THE CHAPEL

The chapel, which is set in a medieval tower whose numerous gun slots bear witness to its original purpose, is a fifteenth century chapel with an ogival entrance surmounted by a topic arched lintel with flat portion and flanked by skewbacks in the same style with prismatic pedestal (flamboyant Gothic style).

Château des Noyers
Elisabeth et Jean-Paul BESNARD
49540 MARTIGNE-BRIAND - FRANCE
Tel : 02 41 54 09 60 - Fax : 02 41 54 32 63
e-mail: chateaudesnoyers@wanadoo.fr