Listed as a Historic Monument, located on the Jean Le Bon Circuit of the Route of Abbeys and Monuments of Haut Poitou, the Château de la Roche-Gençay, the first recorded mention of a noble residence dating back to 1400, overlooks the Belle Valley. Housing the Museum of the Order of Malta, the Château de la Roche is one of the most beautiful stately homes in the Vienne region.
Over the years, two south towers were built, and the three left bays were decorated in Flamboyant Gothic style. In 1530, a third tower was built, the two right bays being decorated in the Renaissance style.
Today, the château consists of a main building (1520-1535) flanked by four round towers, located at the end of a courtyard bordered by two large 17th-century outbuildings and a chapel. The courtyard façade of the residence consists of five bays adorned with beautiful dormers, one part with Flamboyant Gothic decor and the other Renaissance. The interior preserves a series of furnished and wood-paneled salons.
The chapel, erected around 1530, underwent transformations until 1880 to house magnificent stained-glass windows, awarded prizes at the 1967 Paris World's Fair, designed by Marshal de Metz, a painter and master glassmaker, leader of the Metz School.
The park, meanwhile, is attributed to Le Nôtre. It has two springs: the one known as the "Parc de Magné" and the one known as the "Coutières" spring, located at the foot of the castle.
And the Museum of the Order of Malta...
This is the only museum in France dedicated to the Order of Malta. The museum was created by Count Géraud Michel de Pierredon, Bailiff of the Sovereign Order of Malta, former Hospitaller, and representative of the Order to the French government. The museum traces the history of the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, from its origins to the present day, through maps, medals, armor, and films. It is housed in the outbuildings of the Château.
Château de la Roche
Museum of the Order of Malta
86160 Magné
Tel.: 05 49 59 31 07
https://www.magne86.fr/patrimoine/chateau-de-la-roche/
