I was on my by now monthly road warrior trails of my belle France, I was out with my boys and my good dog Rex riding into the wonderful regions near me. This even if passed by before, is my first time in the town of Château la Valliére, full of architecture and history monuments. The village of Château-la-Vallière is located in the Indre-et-Loire department 37, in the Centre-Val de Loire region of my belle France. Therefore, here is my take on the Château de Vaujours of Château la Valliére !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The village of Château la Valliére has nearly 1,800 inhabitants, It is located 17 km from Le Lude, 38 km from Tours, 62 km from Le Mans , 74 km from Angers, 260 km from Paris ,and 299 km from my current home. We came here from Le Lude on the D306 road which becomes same road the D959 then bear left around the town on the D766 road to connect with the D34 road, but turning left on the D349 road to Château La Villiére and its castle.
The Château de Vaujours castle, located 3 km south of Château-la-Vallière,on the D34 road by 6, rue Lezay Marnésia, is an ancient fortress from the 12C and 15C. It belonged to the lordship of Chasteaux-en-Anjou, the future Château-la-Vallière. It was built to protect the eastern limits of Anjou. The romantic remains of Vaujours Castle appear in a green setting in the middle of its moats. The castle consists of two courtyards, the lower courtyard and the upper courtyard. In the upper courtyard, we discover the remains of the lordship residence built in the 15C, the keep and the castle chapel. Louis XI stayed there several times with his sister Jeanne, wife of Antoine de Bueil, natural daughter of Charles VII and Agnès Sorel. Jean V de Bueil, Count of Sancerre and companion of Joan of Arc, made his castle an impregnable stronghold during the Hundred Years’ War. Vaujours has a unique fortification, elaborate for the time, with circular boulevards and advanced bastions well before the Vauban style. Louis XIV raised it to a Duchy Peerage for the benefit of his mistress Louise de La Beaume Le Blanc; the Duchy of La Vallière was endowed with a thousand hectares. The castle escaped the tumult of the French revolution and only fell into ruin in the 19C, and still is but worth it for its history,
The mound of Château-la-Vallière is located near the church, mentioned as Castelli in 978 and Castrum de Castellis in 1020, it measures approximately 45 meters in diameter in its north-south axis and 35 meters in its east-west axis, and has a height varying from 3.50 meters to 4.50 meters, with a cellar at the foot of the mound, Françoise-Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours, is known in history for having been one of the favorites of King Louis XIV from 1661 to 1667. After being neglected by the king, she turned to religion and entered the Carmelite convent in the Faubourg Saint-Jacques in Paris, where she took her perpetual vows on June 3, 1675. On March 31, 1661, the king’s younger brother, Monsieur Philippe d’Orléans, married Princess Henrietta of England, sister of King Charles II of England, who had to build a household worthy of her rank. Louise de La Vallière became a maid of honor in the household of Madame Henrietta of England. A strong friendship between the king and the Duchess of Orléans, his sister-in-law, is said to be at the origin of the meeting of Louis XIV and Louise de La Vallière , Louis XIV fell under the spell of Louise, conquered by her talents as a horsewoman, her taste for music and singing, her talents as a dancer, her literary knowledge In order to spare his mother, Anne of Austria, the king lodged his mistress in a small castle serving as a hunting lodge that Louise particularly appreciated, and which was located not far from Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the forest of the village of Versailles. The king held a splendid festival there in 1664, The Pleasures of the Enchanted Island, during which Molière performed The Princess of Elis, Les Fâcheux, Tartuffe and Lully composed the ballets. The Queen and the Queen Mother were the official dedicators, but it was to Louise that the celebration was secretly dedicated. Louise also received the land of Carrières-Saint-Denis, where she built a château whose gardens were designed and laid out by André Le Nôtre. Louise de La Vallière and Louis XIV had at least five children, of whom only the last two survived and were legitimized: Charles (1663–died young); Philippe (1665–died young); Louis (1665–1666); Marie-Anne (1666–1739), known as Mademoiselle de Blois, who married Louis-Armand I de Bourbon-Conti; and Louis, Count of Vermandois (1667-1683). In 1669, the king legitimized his son Louis, granting him the title of Count of Vermandois and the position of Superintendent of the Navy. The king conferred on Louise the title of Duchess of La Vallière, awarded her the Château de Vaujours, and legitimized their daughter Marie-Anne. In everyone’s eyes, this was the gift of disgrace. In 1670, after a long illness perhaps a miscarriage that gave her a glimpse of death, Louise turned to religion, writing moving Reflections on the Mercy of God. On the advice of Father Bourdaloue, the Marshal de Bellefonds (the King’s First Butler), and Bossuet, she decided to leave court and enter the very strict Carmelite convent in the Faubourg Saint-Jacques. On June 3, 1675, she took her final vows, taking the name Louise de la Miséricorde. At the convent, she received several visits from the Queen, Bossuet, the Marquise de Sévigné, and the Duchess of Orléans, the King’s sister-in-law, to whom she had entrusted the education of her son, the Count of Vermandois. She died on June 6, 1710, at the age of 65, after 36 years of religious life. She was buried in the cemetery of her convent, far from her duchy-peerage, where there is no evidence that she ever visited.
The town of Château la Valliére on its heritage : https://chateaulavalliere.fr/culture-et-loisirs/a-faire-a-voir-dans-ma-commune/
The Château Louise de la Valliére hotel today : https://www.chateaulouise.com/en/the-spirits-within/travel-back-in-time
There you go folks , a nice quant town worth a detour me think. The area is wonderfully located to visit other wonders of my belle France, Again ,hope you enjoy this post on the Château de Vaujours of Château la Valliére !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 