Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, Ainay-le-Vieil, France

Built in 1300, Château d’Ainay-le-Vieil is surrounded by a moat of running water. Jacques Coeur bought the château in 1435 and Charles de Bigny (ancestor of the current owners) acquired in 1467. He built the main building in the late Gothic with Italian style.

In the large living room, a fireplace, one of the most beautiful fireplaces of the Loire Valley, remains of the visit of King Louis XII and Queen Anne of Brittany. For the chapel and its unique wall paintings, Charles appealed to Bigny workshop working on the cathedral of Bourges.

Memories of the Grand Colbert, minister of Louis XIV and Colbert’s all three brothers Napoleon's generals, are also presented.

In the park is a delightful and sweet-smelling rose garden. Some of the varieties of roses which are grown here date back to the 15th century.

References:

Château d’Ainay-le-Vieil
Eyewitness Travel Guide: Loire Valley. 2007

User Reviews

Maud Perrot (6 years ago)
Très beau lieu et visite historique intéressante. Les jardins sont superbes. Bon accueil des enfants même si il n'y a pas de visite adaptée pour leur âge.

rosie boyes (6 years ago)
Lovely morning spent in gardens

Helen Plowman (6 years ago)
Magical place

Héloïse Youngblood (7 years ago)
Great little castle and garden!

Guy Decaluwe (8 years ago)
Wonderfull chateau, well preserved and worth a visit!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Roman Moško

Historic Site of the week

Trencín Castle

Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.

History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.

Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.

Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historical Gems of Costa Verde

Historic Site of the week

Trencín Castle