Fortresses, gardens, riddles and historic houses to discover around La Roche-Posay.

Travel the roads of Poitou and, around a bend, a medieval tower, the remains of a fortress or the elegant façade of a Renaissance residence may suddenly appear.

Some of these places open their doors widely to visitors. Others can only be discovered during a guided tour, a heritage event or a walk around their walls.

All of them, however, tell a story: that of the women and men who built them, lived in them, transformed them and, sometimes, saved them from being forgotten.

A château is not only a monument. It is also the memory of a place and of those who choose to preserve it today.

Chauvigny

The town of five castles

Perched on a rocky promontory above the Vienne, the medieval town of Chauvigny has an extraordinary feature: five castles, or the remains of castles, coexist within its upper town.

The baronial castle, also known as the Bishops’ Castle, the Château d’Harcourt, the keep of Gouzon, the Château de Montléon and the Tour de Flins once formed an unusually dense defensive ensemble.

They cannot all be visited in the same way, but a walk through the upper town reveals several of their remains. The Gouzon keep now houses a museum space, while the ruins of the Bishops’ Castle are home to the Géants du Ciel.

Eagles, falcons, owls and other birds fly freely there against the spectacular backdrop of the former fortress.

Discover the medieval town of Chauvigny →

Plan a visit to the Géants du Ciel →

Château de Monthoiron

In the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci

Near Châtellerault, the Château de Monthoiron has an extraordinary Renaissance fortified tower protected as a historic monument.

The site does more than present its architecture: it invites visitors to enter its story through play.

With the Le Trésor de Léonard trail, children, parents and grandparents set off together in search of a treasure that Leonardo da Vinci is said to have hidden at Monthoiron. Twenty riddles placed around the fortified tower gradually reveal the château, the Renaissance and several facets of the celebrated inventor.

Other activities complete the visit, including the Le Secret de Karmanor trail and a nature walk in search of small creatures made from LEGO bricks.

Monthoiron is therefore much more than a simple castle visit. It is a family adventure, playful and educational, where people learn almost without noticing — which is often the best way to learn.

Discover the activities at Château de Monthoiron →

Château de Boussay

A residence surrounded by a moat

At Boussay, in Indre-et-Loire, the château brings together several periods of construction.

A fifteenth-century machicolated tower stands beside more recent wings. The ensemble, surrounded by a water-filled moat, gradually lost its defensive character and became a country residence.

The château is privately owned and its interior is not open to visitors. The park surrounding the residence can, however, be explored freely, with respect for the place and its occupants.

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Château de Coussay

At the dawn of the French Renaissance

The Château de Coussay was built around 1520 for Denis Briçonnet, prior of Coussay and bishop of Saint-Malo.

Its architecture still retains something of the medieval fortified residence while already opening towards the influence of the Italian Renaissance.

Armand Jean du Plessis, the future Cardinal Richelieu, inherited the estate and stayed there regularly before becoming a cardinal.

The château remains privately owned. It is not permanently open, but visits to the exterior, gardens and, occasionally, certain parts of the residence are organised on selected dates.

Check visitor information for Château de Coussay →

Château du Rivau

A château in conversation with its own time

Le Rivau has done more than preserve its walls.

Around its medieval fortress and former royal stables, gardens have been created that draw inspiration from fairy tales, legends and the imagination.

Works of contemporary art appear among flowers, trees and landscaped installations. The château also hosts exhibitions, workshops, events and family activities.

Le Rivau has therefore chosen to keep its history alive rather than place it behind glass: past centuries meet contemporary creation with considerable freedom and sometimes a touch of humour.

Plan a visit to Château du Rivau →

Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers

A romantic ruin saved collectively

Destroyed by fire in 1932, the Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers became one of the region’s most remarkable romantic ruins.

Without its roof, vegetation entered between the walls and gradually intertwined with the architecture. What might have heralded its disappearance helped create an almost unreal place.

In 2017, a major crowdfunding campaign made it possible to begin its collective purchase. Tens of thousands of people from around the world now take part in its preservation.

The château is open to visitors and continues to undergo work to secure, restore and enhance the site.

It represents a very contemporary form of heritage protection: a château that no longer depends on a single owner, but on the collective attachment of those who chose to save it.

Plan a visit to La Mothe-Chandeniers →

Château de la Roche, Magné

From Flamboyant Gothic to the Renaissance

Overlooking the Belle valley, the Château de la Roche combines Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance architecture.

Its chapel, built in the sixteenth century, contains stained glass installed in the nineteenth century and signed by Maréchal de Metz, one of the leading glassmakers of his time.

One of the seventeenth-century outbuildings also houses a museum devoted to the Order of Malta.

The château is mainly visited through guided tours arranged by appointment, so it is essential to check before travelling.

Check visiting conditions for Château de la Roche →

Château de Purnon

Saving an eighteenth-century masterpiece

At Verrue, in northern Vienne, Château de Purnon was built at the end of the eighteenth century.

The residence, its outbuildings, moat, chapel and various estate buildings form a remarkable ensemble that was long threatened by lack of maintenance.

In 2020, the estate was purchased by Felicity Selkirk and Tim Holding, an Australian couple who set out to save it from ruin.

Since then, a major restoration project has been carried out with the help of craftspeople, historic-monument services and a range of heritage partners.

Purnon is not a château that opens for visits every day. Its doors open for selected events, particularly the European Heritage Days.

Visitors therefore discover less a completed residence than an immense restoration project in progress.

Follow Purnon’s restoration and opening dates →

Château de la Chapelle-Bellouin

A royal residence saved stone by stone

In the Loudun area, within the commune of La Roche-Rigault, stand the remains of the Château de la Chapelle-Bellouin.

The site has medieval origins. The château was extensively transformed at the beginning of the Renaissance while retaining several traces of its former defensive role.

It became royal property under Francis I and was later given to the d’Escoubleau de Sourdis family. Later still, the county of La Chapelle-Bellouin became part of Cardinal Richelieu’s possessions.

The château retains remains of fortifications, traces of a former drawbridge, a Renaissance residential building and decorated coffered vaults.

Patient consolidation and restoration work is now trying to preserve what can still be saved.

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Private residences we can only glimpse

Château de Jutreau

Located at Saint-Pierre-de-Maillé, the Château de Jutreau is a private property and cannot be visited.

Its fifteenth-century north pavilion has been listed as a historic monument since 1935.

For walkers, the château therefore remains one of those silhouettes whose stonework can sometimes be glimpsed without ever crossing the threshold.

View the official Château de Jutreau record →

La Merci-Dieu

Not a château, but a former abbey

La Merci-Dieu should not be described as a château.

It is the remains of a former Cistercian abbey founded in the twelfth century beside the Gartempe, within the territory of La Roche-Posay.

A large part of the complex has disappeared or is now badly deteriorated. Two altarpieces from the former abbey are, however, preserved in the Notre-Dame church in La Roche-Posay.

La Merci-Dieu fully belongs to the history of the area, but in a different register: monastic life, religious art and the institutions that once shaped these valleys.

Discover the historic heritage of La Roche-Posay →

An unexpected cousin

The paintings of Saint-Savin Abbey

At Angles-sur-l’Anglin, Roc-aux-Sorciers preserves a prehistoric frieze carved into stone.

At Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, painting takes over.

The abbey church contains one of the most important surviving ensembles of Romanesque mural painting in Europe. Created in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the paintings notably cover the great barrel vault of the nave.

Episodes from Genesis and Exodus unfold there like an immense painted book above visitors.

The abbey church has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. Guided visits and family activities now offer ways to discover its paintings and history.

Plan a visit to Saint-Savin Abbey →

Going further

This feature may one day have a sequel.

One château per season, perhaps. A restored residence, a ruin, a garden or a private building whose story deserves to be told.

We could also create two complementary series:

Places we can visit, to prepare real discoveries along the roads of Poitou;

Places we can only glimpse, devoted to private houses, ruins and silhouettes seen behind the trees.

The Chevaliers’ Realm will not run short of old stones with stories to tell.

And you, which château would you like to discover with Les Chevaliers de l’Astrée?

Opening hours, prices, activities and visiting conditions may change. Before travelling, check the official website of the place concerned.