Château de la Croisnière

The Manoir de la Croisnière (also known as Château de la Croisnière) stands about one kilometre west of the village centre of Saulges. The seigneurial seat depended on the châtellenie of Thévalles. Jean de Cordon rendered homage in 1413. In 1587 Michel Le Duc acquired the seigneurie. In the mid-seventeenth century it passed to the Aveneau family through the marriage of Antoine Aveneau to Jeanne Le Duc. René Aveneau added the northern wing in 1685 (inscription) and built the gatehouse in 1691. In the eighteenth century the site lost its function as a lordly residence and was divided into several farms. The southern range of the logis dates from the fourteenth or fifteenth century (fireplace and blocked window with window seats). The pavilion dates from the second half of the sixteenth century. In the nineteenth century roof structures were renewed and outbuildings remodelled.

The complex consists of several adjoining ranges of different periods around an almost enclosed courtyard with a double portal (pedestrian and carriage entrance). The main logis is a raised single-storey building with a high hipped roof and external staircase. The walls are of sandstone and limestone rubble. The manoir was inscribed as a monument historique on 7 October 1935. It is in private ownership (since 1976 Jean-Pierre Griveau, who restored it). It serves as a residence and is generally not open to the public, although the exterior is visible from outside. Occasional guided visits take place during the Journées du Patrimoine.