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 lay brothers were responsible for managing the monastery's extensive agricultural estate (nearly 1,500 hectares at Le Liget, as well as tenant farms 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 stronghold, with the construction of a monumental fortified gate at the entrance. In the second half of the 17th century, the friars 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 monks had left the Carthusian 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.
Location and toponymy
La Corroirie is located in the Chemillé-sur-Indrois commune, around 3 km southwest of the main town. Its buildings back onto the righthand bank of the hill, in the Ruisseau d'Aubigny valley, a Indrois tributary, at the mouth of Ruisseau du Liget's secondary valley. To the south-west of the latter, are the buildings of the upper house -so named because the prayer activities carried out there bring it symbolically closer to Heaven- of the chartreuse du Liget, 1.1 km from La Corroiere, and 2 km away from the Saint-Jean du Liget chapel. All these distances are expressed as "à vol d'oiseau".
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 of the pond, separating it from the buildings, whereas previously, it ran around the pond to the west and then south, as shown on the Cassini map. Nevertheless, by 1897, the pond was poorly maintained and partially sunken. The small area designated for construction, with no possibility of expansion, may explain the architectural decision, over the centuries, to raise the buildings in order to increase their capacity.
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 lay brothers, 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. This word would itself be formed from the Latin conredium, designating all that relates to the material life of a monk, but this term may have been used by other monastic orders before the foundation of the Charterhouses. This proposal is more plausible than a reference to corroyage, a stage in the preparation of hide for the manufacture of parchment, or even a post office for couriers, leads mentioned by ancient authors.
History
Foundation
The land of Liget seems to have been bought from the Abbey of Villeloin by Henri II of England between 1176 and 1183 and then given to a small Benedictine monastic community on the condition that it join the Carthusian order. After that, the chapel of Saint-Jean du Liget and the first buildings of the upper house were built. Before the Carthusians settled there, the location of Corroirie was called Craçay or Crassay and was not part of the initial donation. It is a fief that, around 1200 B.C., Lord Foulques de Craçay gave to the monks of Liget. The donation, although disputed by the heirs of Foulques after his death, was confirmed.