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La Corroirie is a fortified feudal stronghold belonging to the neighboring Chartreuse du Liget, located in the commune of Chemillé-sur-Indrois, in the Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region.
Likely founded at the end of the 11th century, it became the Charterhouse's lower house, whose were responsible for managing the monastery's extensive agricultural estate (nearly 1,500 hectares at Le Liget, as well as Tenant farmer in the Loches region). Its buildings were gradually expanded over the following centuries, with periods of expansion alternating with phases of fortification following the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion. In the 16th century, La Corroirie was transformed into a Fortification, with the construction of a monumental fortified gate at the entrance. In the second half of the 17th century, the who lived there left to take up residence in the upper residence, and the church was closed to worshipers: the lower residence lost its religious role and became a farm. One of the particularities of La Corroirie is that it was also a fief with legal rights over its territory from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution, as evidenced by the presence of a prison on the site. Sold as national property during the Revolution, after the last had left the Carthusians monastery in early 1791, the Corroirie buildings suffered little damage and are still maintained and inhabited into the 21st century.
The church, fortified gateway and prison of La Corroirie were listed as historic monuments in 1926; the listing was extended to the entire site in 2015. As from 1947, La Corroirie, along with the buildings of the upper house and their surroundings, are part of a listed site.
To the south of the buildings is the Corroirie pond, established on the Aubigny by the Carthusian monks. At this point, the D 760 from Loches to Montrésor is built on the northern Embankment dam of the pond, separating it from the buildings, whereas previously, it ran around the pond to the west and then south,Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.14. as shown on the Cassini map. Nevertheless, by 1897, the pond was poorly maintained and partially sunken.Bossebœuf 1897, p. 29. The small area designated for construction, with no possibility of expansion, may explain the architectural decision, over the centuries, to raise the buildings to increase their capacity.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.17.
A manuscript written by a Carthusian monk in 1625 states " Correya est domus inferior Carthusianorum", the Cassini map mentions "La Courerie" and the Napoleonic cadastre indicates "La Couroirie". The low houses of the monasteries, dedicated to manual and agricultural activities, close to the land and dedicated to the accommodation of the ,André Montoux, Vieux logis de Touraine, t. VII, Chambray-lès-Tours, CLD, 1987, 217 pp. (), p. 61. generally take the name of correries. The term is a possible but controversial derivative of the " corrier", designating in Lyonnais and Dauphiné, in the Middle Ages, the prosecutor responsible for managing the property of a bishop or an abbot.Jacques Dubois, "Les moines dans la société du Moyen Âge (950–1350)", Revue d'histoire de l'Église de France, t. 60, no 164, 1974, p. 13 (DOI 10.3406/rhef.1974.1519). This word would itself be formed from the Latin conredium, designating all that relates to the material life of a monk,Jacques Chaurand, "Un toponyme cartusien : la correrie ( correria)", Revue internationale d'onomastique, 1975, pp. 241–246. but this term may have been used by other monastic orders before the foundation of the Charterhouses.Auguste Bouchayer, Les Chartreux, maîtres de forges, Grenoble, Éditions Didier et Richard, 1927, 245 p., p. 25-26. This proposal is more plausible than a reference to corroyage, a stage in the preparation of hide for the manufacture of parchment,Bossebœuf 1897, p. 29–30. or even a post office for , leads mentioned by ancient authors.Philippon. La chartreuse du Liget (suite), Société archéologique de Touraine, 1934: p. 289.
The exact date and circumstances of the foundation of the Corroirie are difficult to determine, due to the absence of reliable sources and convincing architectural leads. However, from a dedication of the church by the bishop of Paris Odon de Sully in 1206, it seems that the first structures were built in the last decade of the 12th century and the first two decades of the 13th century. From this first phase of construction, two structures with an unknown function were built, perhaps a pantry/dormitory and a refectory, as well as the church which could have been started a shortly before the other buildings, and consecrated prior its completion.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp. 23–26.Fleury. L'église de la Corroirie du Liget, Société des amis du pays lochois, 2010: p. 79.
The foundation of the chartreuse, in which Henri II took an active part, but, above all, that of Corroirie on the road between Loches and Montrésor, whose donjons were built by Foulques Nerra,Samuel Riou and Flore Marteaux, "Une motte castrale dans le contexte des recompositions politiques au tournant de l'an mil (Région Centre, Indre-et-Loire)", Revue archéologique du center de la France, t. LI, 2012, paragraph 72 ( read online archive). reinforced the authority of the house of Anjou which now had three solid positions in the same territory. It is the Corroirie, and not the upper house itself, which is the seat of Liget's Manorialism,Philippon. La chartreuse du Liget (suite), Société archéologique de Touraine, 1934: p. 290. thus consecrating the extremely distinct separation of the charterhouses between the temporal and the spiritual.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.05.Meunier. La Chartreuse du Liget, Hugues de Chivré, 2007: p. 63.
To cope with this increased activity, substantial improvements were made to the buildings at La Corroirie. The existing buildings were enlarged or heightened to accommodate a greater number of lay brothers (whose numbers were not specified); a large hall was built to the west, perhaps to serve as a chapter house and a manorial court – the Court leet granted to the Carthusian monastery were confirmed in 1352, and the list of the Carthusian monastery's is available from 1497.Philippon. La chartreuse du Liget (suite), Société archéologique de Touraine, 1934: p. 304. Numerous deeds testify to the sometimes difficult, even conflictual, relations between the judicial officers of La Corroirie and those of the bailiwick of Loches between the mid-14th century and the late 17th century,Philippon. La chartreuse du Liget (suite), Société archéologique de Touraine, 1934: pp. 304–310. but the rights of justice granted to La Corroirie were renewed by each king of France until the French Revolution.Meunier. La Chartreuse du Liget, Hugues de Chivré, 2007: p. 65.
The spatial layout of such an ensemble of buildings requires an enclosure to materialize its unity. It is therefore likely that the lower house had a courtyard enclosed by the existing buildings and additional walls, with a monumental porch opening to the south towards the Loches-Montrésor road. In the absence of any vestige, this assumption remains at the hypothesis stage.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.36–44.
The creation of the gatehouse, in addition to its usefulness in La Corroirie's defensive system, also had a more symbolic role: it oriented the Corroirie's opening westwards in the direction of the Carthusian monastery's upper house, reinforcing the ties between the two groups of buildings. It may also have been intended to shorten the distance between the two places, making it easier to take refuge in the event of an attack.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p. 44.
The decision was then taken to transform La Corroirie into a fortified house. A fortified gatehouse equipped with a drawbridge commanded the entrance, a bretèche was added to the west gable of the cellars, towers and were built around the perimeter wall, supported the most fragile buildings, and a moat was dug. It was no doubt at this time that La Corroirie's pond was built along the course of the Aubigny River to provide a regular supply of water for the moat, thanks to its spillway. Finally, a turret-shaped prison was built inside the enclosure, away from other buildings to the north. This work lasted until the early 17th century.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp. 58–67.
The quality of life within the buildings was improved (more efficient heating, better access to upper floors, new or extended bays), but this phase has not been dated, and it is not possible to determine whether it corresponds to the extensive remodeling of the upper house buildings as part of a vast project launched in 1787, but interrupted by the French Revolution.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.75–76. Following the French Revolution and the abolition of monastic orders, the conversion of La Corroirie into a farm, a process already well underway, came to an end. In 1789, La Corroirie was administered by just two lay brothers, who lived in the upper house.Meunier. La Chartreuse du Liget, Hugues de Chivré, 2007: p. 122. The Carthusian monks left the monastery in early 1791, and on June 1 of the same year, the buildings were sold as biens nationaux. Ownership changed several times, and the estate was even divided up at times. In 1899, it passed into the hands of the Marsay family.André Montoux, Vieux logis de Touraine, t. VII, Chambray-lès-Tours, CLD, 1987, 217 pp. (), p. 63. Since then, La Corroirie has remained the property of this family, either directly or by marriage, and is still inhabited in 2018, preserving the buildings from deterioration; part of its premises were converted into guest rooms in the 21st century. Nevertheless, the general appearance of the house remains much as it was in the late Middle Ages.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.76–77." Home" archive, on the Corroirie website (accessed February 25th, 2018).
In 1926, the fortified gateway, chapel, and former prison were listed as Monument Historique; in 2015, the listing was extended to the entire site via a ministerial decree published on April 22, 2016. On July 31, 1947, La Corroirie, along with the upper house and the surrounding land, became part of a new classified site under the law of May 2nd, 1930.
Above the doors, the first story houses the machinery for the drawbridges, while the second story, which controls the machicolations, has been converted into a lookout room equipped with the necessary equipment for people – perhaps soldiers from the garrison commissioned to protect the Carthusian monastery. The room features a sink with an external drain through the north wall, topped by an embrasure.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.63.
First Phase: the initial building consists of a two-bay nave, extended to the east by a single-bay choir and a pentagonal apse. The main entrance is located in the western gable wall; two secondary entrances are located in the northern gutter wall, leading to a gallery between the church and the cellar building.Fleury. L'église de la Corroirie du Liget, Société des amis du pays lochois, 2010: p. 81. It measures 15.50 × 6 m, with a capstone height of 11.50 m.Fleury. L'église de la Corroirie du Liget, Société des amis du pays lochois, 2010: p. 75. The floor is then backfilled to a height of 1.50 m, both inside and out.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.26. The existence of an independent bell tower, or a bell-gable, is suspected but not confirmed; the original roof, certainly , must have been continuous from the nave to the apse. These elements were lost during subsequent alterations. While the exterior masonry is Romanesque, the vaults are typical of the Western Gothic style, and this first phase of construction can be dated to the late-11th or early 13th century. According to Gérard Fleury, the 1206 dedication is a valuable reference, but does not rule out that the work was completed around 1220. Inside, the keystone sculpture, common in the Western Gothic style, is underlined by a still discernible colored decoration, and the intrados of the vaults also features a black-and-white illusion painting, giving the impression of very regular masonry.Fleury. L'église de la Corroirie du Liget, Société des amis du pays lochois, 2010: p. 78. The church contains a Renaissance baptismal font.
Second Phase: probably in the first half of the 15th century, the nave of the church, above the , was raised by one story, with ample natural light, and closed off to the east by a wattle and daub wooden frames; the vault of the apse, located below this wall, would probably not support the weight of a masonry wall.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.50. The apse is not affected by this remodeling. The function of this floor is unknown, but it may have been used as a dormitory to house the growing number of staff working at La Corroirie.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.50–52. Externally, the restoration work is clearly visible on the southern gutter wall: the original masonry is dressed in tufa stone, while the upper story is made of rubble of various types.Fleury. L'église de la Corroirie du Liget, Société des amis du pays lochois, 2010: pp. 74–75. An batter was built up against this wall up to the base of the windows, where it altered the tufa facing, certainly to counteract the thrust of the church's upper stories. The exact dates of its installation and removal have not been established.
Third Phase: A new alteration takes place in the second half of the 15th century. The apse was heightened and, like the nave, was transformed into a bastion. The most striking features of this period are the exclamation-point-shaped arrowslits in the apse floor and the south gutter wall, with a vertical sight slit above a round hole for the barrel of a firearm; these murder holes are opened close to the floor of the first story.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.52–54.
Fourth Phase: Another undated alteration, presumably dating from before 1570, involved the construction of a building perpendicular to the previous ones, connecting the cellar floor to the church floor on the western gable, which had previously been demolished.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.54–56.
Fifth Phase: when La Corroirie was transformed into a fortified house in the late 16th century, the only modifications made to the church were the addition of a few arrowslits in the apse to cover the shooting blind spots. These were of a different type to the previous ones, better suited to larger weapons.
The hypothesis that this tower could have served as an ice-house does not stand up well to analysis: the layout of the rooms does not suggest such a purpose. The possibility of a prison built in the second half of the 16th century remains the most plausible. However, it's not unlikely that the building also served as a hemp processing furnace between the periods in which it was occupied by prisoners, or at a later date, as hemp production is well documented in this part of Touraine.Jean-Luc Flohic (dir.), Patrimoine des communes de France, t. 2, Flohic, 2001, 1406 p. (), p. 976.Henry Soulange-Bodin, "Du chanvre et de sa culture", La Loire en revue, no. 6, 1999, pp. 50–53.
A large building was erected to the west of the site towards the end of the 13th century. North-south oriented, it may initially have served as a chapter house for the brothers or as a court, but there's no conclusive information.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.41 and 44. Altered several times, it may have been partially converted into a garrison dwelling when La Corroirie was fortified. It was at this time that the western façade was fitted with buttresses.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.41. In the 14th century, the northern part of the building was significantly modified. It was transformed into a gatehouse, and access to La Corroirie was gained through a fortified gateway with a portcullis. It may have seemed simpler to the builders to take advantage of existing buildings to create this gateway, rather than constructing it from scratch on the south side of the enclosure, where the abbey gate had stood until then. Before the French Revolution, this building underwent a major modification: it was raised slightly and floors were added, dividing it into several stories, which were later partitioned into rooms.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.76.
In the northern extension of the gatehouse, a building considered to be the monks' refectory was one of the first to be constructed.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.33. It was later extensively rebuilt and raised, presumably to accommodate visiting guests.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.49 and 50.
Further to the north, perpendicular to the previous building, stands a two-story structure, the role of which has not been confirmed. This may have been the abbey's outbuildings, topped by the abbot's dwelling. Its construction dates back to the first half of the 15th century, when the church was heightened.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.48 and 50.
Two towers remain from the period when La Corroirie was transformed into a fortified house. The tower to the north of the outbuildings has been reduced to ruins, but was still standing in 1897;Bossebœuf 1897, p. 31–32. the tower to the south of the west hall has held up considerably better.
After the Wars of Religion, the abbey's enclosure was extended to the north and east, where it encompassed part of the hillside. However, its defensive capacity was limited,Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: pp.60 and 61. especially as the security of La Corroirie on its flank was guaranteed by the presence of the steep hillside, which had to be reinforced by a wall with buttresses. This feature is still clearly visible to the north of the preserved buildings, near the prison.
An underground passage, dug into the hillside and perhaps connected to the east gable of the cellar, has a large room and several passageways, one of which leads to the open air on the northern side of the buildings. It was explored by the Spéléo-club de Touraine in 2009.Rémi Lequint, " Étude environnementale de la Corroirie du Liget" archive PDF, on Spéléo-club de Touraine website (accessed February 16th, 2018), p. 6-8. However, there is no evidence to suggest that this was the underground passageway used by the monks of the Carthusian monastery to take refuge at La Corroirie in 1361.
In 2015, La Corroirie was the setting for several scenes – including the burning at the stake – in the American film Joan of Arc, retracing the life of Joan of Arc."Joan of Arc was burned... at the Corroirie du Liget", La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest, July 4th, 2015 ( read online archive).
Several episodes of Mary Play-Parlange's crime novel Clair-obscur en chartreuse: une enquête à tiroirs (2013) are set at La Corroirie or evoke historical events that took place there.Mary Play-Parlange, Clair-obscur en chartreuse : une enquête à tiroirs, Plombières-les-Bains, Ex Aequo, coll. "Collection Rouge", 2013, 132 p. (, read online
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> archive).
In 1897, Louis-Auguste Bossebœuf recounts an excursion made by members of the Société archéologique de Touraine (SAT) to the Lochois region; he devotes a few pages of this publication to a brief evocation of the history and description of the Corroirie's main buildings.Bossebœuf 1897.
In 1934, Albert Philippon wrote an historical study of the Chartreuse du Liget, published in two issues of the Bulletin de la société archéologique de Touraine. The first part was devoted to the upper house, the second to La Corroirie and Saint-Jean du Liget chapel.Philippon. La chartreuse du Liget (suite), Société archéologique de Touraine, 1934.
In 2000, Gérard Fleury carried out a detailed architectural study of the church and cellars at La Corrioirie, providing a more precise chronology for the construction of these buildings. The study was published in the Bulletin des amis du pays lochois.Fleury. L'église de la Corroirie du Liget, Société des amis du pays lochois, 2010.Fleury 2011. In 2007, Christophe Meunier published a book devoted to the Chartreuse du Liget. In a chronological presentation of the monastery's history, several passages deal specifically with the Corroirie.Meunier. La Chartreuse du Liget, Hugues de Chivré, 2007.
In the late 2000s, as part of the building's restoration work undertaken by the owners, a multi-disciplinary working group undertook a historical and archaeological study of the entire Corroirie site. The results were published in the Revue archéologique du center de la France.Dufay. La Corroirie de la chartreuse du Liget à Chemillé-sur-Indrois (Indre-et-Loire). Étude historique et architecturale, FERACF, 2014: p.04.
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