Located in the heart of the Sologne, the neo-Louis XIII-style Château d’Ortie was apparently built by the Marquis d’Assas right at the end of the 19th century.
According to the sources available to the Inventaire Général (the general inventory of French heritage), the Vicomte de Rodays (Pierre Léon Fernand de Rodays) lived in the château (we do not have the exact dates). He was born on 19 October 1845 at Mur-de-Sologne in the Loir et Cher département. A peaceful editor of Le Figaro, he is known for having fought a duel with Bori de Castellane in the Parc des Princes.
In architectural terms, the château obeys the principles of classical composition based on:
- symmetry either side of a central feature,
- regular distribution of the bays,
- the ratio between the volumes,
- the spacing of the dormer windows,
- division into three main bodies resulting in a stereotypical formal relationship.
The elongated and perfectly-symmetrical building is further extended by the outbuildings. Asymmetrical parts are few and often compensated by an effort to balance volumes and a harmony in the proportions of the elevations.
The château has been renovated recently to current technical standards of comfort, with modernized insulation, heating and electrical system. Selected noble materials have been employed:
ashlar stone, floor slabs, majestic staircases, fireplaces, fitted kitchen… Vast reception rooms, 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms.
Finished basement, part as vehicle garages.
Two outbuildings.
61-acre park with frontage along the river Sauldre for more than a kilometer.
Summary of areas (gross surface area [S. H. O. B. in French])
CHÂTEAU
First (ground) floor: 4090 sq. ft
Terrace: 1345 sq. ft
Covered terrace: 409 sq. ft
Covered terrace 2: 161 sq. ft
Second floor: 3981 sq. ft
Terrace: 398 sq. ft
Third floor: 109 sq. ft
Garage (below terrace): 1345 sq. ft
OUTBUILDING 1 (INCLUDING CARETAKER’S APARTMENT)
First (ground) floor: 2679 sq. ft
Second floor: 2679 sq. ft
Estimated area of caretaker’s apartment: 1549 sq. ft
Estimated area of rental apartment: 1291 sq. ft
OUTBUILDING 2
First (ground) floor: 2679 sq. ft
Second floor: 2679 sq. ft
