The oratory, a double-purpose "treasure room"!

Vue du vitrail de la crucifixion, de la table à manger, du retable et de divers objets de collection de l'oratoire

In the oratory, discover the wonders of Jean Mouliérat's collection!

A chapel setting

When you enter the oratory, you'll be amazed! Mouliérat has transformed this narrow 14th-century vaulted room into a veritable museum of religious art. To accommodate the imposingCrucifixion stained glass window from Quimper Cathedral, one of the jewels in his collection, he had no hesitation in opening a bay in the thick wall!

The interior features Gothic furnishings worthy of the richest chapels : stalls , pulpits , canopies ... Precious wooden sculptures, such as a 13th-century Virgin in Majesty, are also on display. Among the fine religious paintings hanging on the walls, a magnificent altarpiece catches the eye: a masterpiece illustrating the legend of Saint Bartholomew, painted by the Master of Tarralba in the early 15th century, rich in gilding and bursting with colour!

Le retable doré et polychromique de saint Barthélémy — Le retable de saint Barthélémy
© Pascal Lemaître - Centre des monuments nationaux

Let's eat!

Have you ever dreamt of having lunch in a museum? In the oratory, you could enjoy Mouliérat's staging, but also some good food! In the midst of the sacred works, he set up the dining table... in short, he created a charming dining room.

In the walls, recesses closed by wooden doors were even used to store food: veritable little fridges!

Today, the table is still set as it was at the beginning of the ^20th century, with the Mouliérat table service: embroidered table linen, ceremonial crockery, crystal glasses, various utensils...

La table dressée dans l'oratoire avec le linge de maison et la vaisselle de Jean Mouliérat
© Pascal Lemaître - Centre des monuments nationaux

Would you have guessed it?

It's hard to imagine that this room, richly decorated by Mouliérat, was originally used as... a guard room! The room is located on the first floor of the entrance châtelet, one of the most strategic defensive parts of the castle, built in the 14th century.

However, the structure and sculptures of the period have been preserved: a Gothic vault with fine ribs resting on capitals decorated with foliage. These vaults probably play a role in the "chapel" effect of the decoration.