Château du Magnet

En un regard

Le château en bref

In the heart of the Vallée Noire, dear to George Sand, not far from Nohant, the Château du Magnet stands in the commune of Mers-sur-Indre. Built in the 16th century on the foundations of a medieval residence, it is recognisable by its two massive towers capped with tall roofs, with dormer windows decorated with pinnacles punctuating the façades. To this Renaissance core was added a Neo-Gothic chapel, entirely rebuilt between 1851 and 1870 at the initiative of Ernest-Rigobert Simons; rectangular in plan and with two bays, it has retained its original stained-glass windows. The site owes part of its renown to literature and the world of entertainment. George Sand sets part of *La Mare au diable*, published in 1846, there and describes it as a romantic residence. A few years later, the dancer Céleste Mogador lived there, shortly before her marriage in 1854 to Count Lionel de Chabrillan. Still inhabited, the estate is privately owned; it has been held by the Petiau family since 2017.