Château de Saché

Saché, France

The Château de Saché is a stately home built from the converted remains of a feudal castle. It was here, between 1830 and 1837, that the French writer Honoré de Balzac wrote some of his finest works in the series La Comédie Humaine, comprising nearly 90 novels, in which he attempted to reflect every aspect of French society at that time.

The château was owned by Balzac's friend, Jean de Margonne, his mother's lover and the father of her youngest child. The writer would often spend long periods staying here, away from his turbulent life in Paris, writing 14 to 16 hours a day. After supper he would sleep a few hours, wake around midnight and write until morning, sustained by large amounts of coffee.

Since 1951, the château has been open as an evocative museum dedicated to Balzac. His small second-floor bedroom has a simple bed and writing desk where so many of his often tormented characters were conceived.

The château was built upon the foundations of a twelfth-century fortified house, of which a cylindrical tower and dry moats remain. The building was successively transformed in the 16th through 18th centuries. It has been listed as a monument historique since June 1983 by the French Ministry of Culture.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 16th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

sara dedonder (3 months ago)
a must see for lovers of french literature. Little gem of a museum away from the crowds of other places. I dare you to step away from here without putting one of Balzac’s many books on your ‘to be (re)read’ list.
Violeta Ananieva (5 months ago)
Really nice small museum in the house where Balzac lived. The staff was very polite and helpful. The exhibition was great and the movie at the end was very interesting. It's a pity that they close at lunchtime, so we could not see the whole movie.
Ann Attwood (14 months ago)
We didn't go inside so I can't rate the interior. The grounds are simple, quiet and peaceful.
Sara Malick (15 months ago)
I loved this place and the guided tour with all the anecdotes about Balzac. I will never forget this experience! Merci
christopher poupon (5 years ago)
Great mate
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.