Welcome to the Château de Saché - Musée Balzac

Deep in the Indre Valley

The Château de Saché, a historical landmark and source of inspiration for Honoré de Balzac

Deep in the Indre Valley, the Château de Saché was one of Honoré de Balzac's favourite places to go for inspiration. Between 1825 and 1848, he stayed at Jean Margonne's home a dozen times. Balzac's small bedroom provided him with the silence and austerity that, away from his hectic life in Paris and financial worries, enabled him to work for twelve to sixteen hours a day.  Some of Father Goriot, Louis Lambert, César Birotteau and Lost Illusions were written here. Saché also inspired Balzac to set his novel The Lily of the Valley in the idyllic Indre Valley.

 

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Main lounge, château de Saché, © photo Stevens Frémont.

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Louis BOULANGER, Honoré de Balzac, oil on canvas, Tours Fine Arts Museum collection, 1836, © Dominique Couineau.

Saché, Balzac's refuge

I have come to take refuge here in the depths of a château, like in a monastery
Honoré de Balzac - Saché 1831

 

Honoré de Balzac was born in Tours in 1799 and moved to Paris when he was 14. Saché was more than a refuge from his creditors, it was also a "monastery" where he could write and recharge his batteries in the peace and quiet. The author suffered from heart and lung issues in the 1830s. His doctor, Dr. Nacquart, prescribed fresh air in his homeland to recover from his hectic Paris schedule. Balzac's stays in Saché were peppered with long walks in the century-old woods on the estate, trips to visit local château owners and games of whist and backgammon with the owner Jean Margonne.

 

 

BALZAC AT CHÂTEAU DE SACHÉ
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