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Origin and history

The Château de Champigny-sur-Veude found its origins in the 11th century with a fortress built by Foulques IV of Anjou, entrusted to its vassals before passing into the hands of the families of Beauçay, Anjou and then Beauvau. In 1454, the estate entered the house of Bourbon-Vendôme by the marriage of Isabelle de Beauvau with Jean VIII de Bourbon-Vendôme, ancestor of Henri IV. The work of the present castle and the Sainte-Chapelle began in 1507 under Louis de La Roche-sur-Yon and continued until 1549, after the destruction of the former fortress.

In the 17th century, the cardinal of Richelieu, jealous of rivalry with his own neighbouring castle, acquired Champigny in 1635 from Gaston d'Orléans. The sale contract imposed the total destruction of the castle, saving only the commons and the Holy Chapel thanks to the intervention of Pope Urban VIII. In 1656, Anne-Marie-Louise d'Orléans (La Grande Mademoiselle) recovered the estate and transformed the communes into seigneurial houses, adding a staircase of honor and apartments.

The Sainte-Chapelle, classified as a historical monument in 1911, is a rare example of 16th-century religious architecture, decorated with stained glass retracing the history of the Bourbon-Montpensier. The communes, classified in 1945, form a "U" set flanked by round towers surrounded by moat. The original castle, described in 1657 as one of the most beautiful in France, would have been dismantled stone by stone to be rebuilt in Richelieu, according to assumptions based on the similarities of the land.

The estate then changed hands several times: sold in 1789 as national property, it passed between the families of Beauregard and La Roche-Aymon before being acquired in 2000 by an American couple. Today, only the commons and the chapel bear witness to its fascinating past, linked to the great royal dynasties and political intrigues of the Old Regime.

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