Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Chezotte, located in Ahun in the Creuse, is a rare complete example of a 15th century strong house in the Marche region. Its defensive features include two round towers framed by a square tower surmounted by a breeches, a round road with mâchicoulis, and water moats retaining their original layout. Access is by a bridge preceded by a fortified porch pavilion, completed by a defensive door leading to the old chapel, now transformed. Inside, six stone chimneys, including one carved, testify to the relative comfort of the period.

Around 1459, the brothers of the City, lords of the place and children of the treasurer of the Marche, already occupied the place, as evidenced by letters of remission of Charles VII. In the 17th century, the castle passed to Symphorien D'Arfeuille and Aymée Audier by marriage. Later, the Parisian actress Madame De Lisle discovered new openings. The estate, initially agricultural, was transformed into a 4-hectare English garden at the end of the 18th century.

Ranked a historic monument in 1926, the castle saw its inscription revised in 2020 to include the entire estate, then extended in 2022 to part of the old pond. Open to the public since 2019, only the ground floor was then accessible, with a future opening project of the round road. The owners actively maintain the site, preserving both its medieval heritage and subsequent landscape developments.

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