Château de Thouars

The site occupies a commanding natural promontory above a bend of the Thouet and is arranged around a long principal façade that stretches for more than 110 metres and faces the river. In front of that façade lies a formal courtyard of honour bounded by arcaded galleries; one recorded gallery measures about 70 metres in length. Foundations use a local hard stone known as pierre de Vrines or grison, the walls are built in tuffeau, and roofs are covered in slate.

The main residential block presents a ground floor, a principal reception floor and an attic storey pierced by dormer windows, and it is flanked by two taller pavilions. A central pavilion rises through the roof to a dome that contains the principal staircase. That stair sits beneath the dome and retains a balustrade fashioned from Laval marble. The south pavilion has a trapezoidal plan and is the oldest of the pavilions, reflecting its original attachment to the medieval fortress that once occupied the hill; material from the demolished castle was reused to link this pavilion with the collegiate church.

The collegiate church itself dates to the early 16th century and is built as a double chapel. The lower level displays late Gothic flamboyant features while the upper gallery shows Renaissance influence, reflecting the transition in styles at the time of construction. Work on the chapel is attributed to Jean Chahureau and André Amy. In 1515 the chapel was raised to collegiate status and it became the repository for a relic connected with the Crucifixion. Masses are celebrated in the collegiate church today by the Fraternity of Saint Pius X.

To the side of the palace stands a long rectangular orangery completed in 1659 under Jacques Cornesse. It carries a slate roof and a façade approximately 66 metres long served by two staircases. An inventory taken in 1790 recorded 182 young trees within the orangery. During the 19th century the formal gardens that once surrounded the buildings were removed, leaving the orangery as the principal survivor of that planted ensemble. Between 1970 and 1980 some of the orangery’s industrial and workshop fittings were partially dismantled, and the building has been included in the broader restoration efforts begun around 1990.

The stables built about 1707 occupy a separate range and were raised from Robert de Cotte’s designs to replace older horse stalls. In later years these stable buildings have been adapted for civic uses, hosting the municipal school of visual arts, a regional centre commemorating the resistance and liberty movement, and a geological interpretation centre for the Thouars area. The château and chapel bear visible traces of Revolutionary pillage, with records noting the destruction of numerous paintings and marble tombs and damage to trees and library holdings.