Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Rivière is a building of the 4th quarter of the 16th century and the 1st quarter of the 17th century, located in Châtenoy, in the Loiret department (Centre-Val de Loire region). It was built on the presumed site of an ancient medieval castle, probably destroyed during the Hundred Years War. The initiative of its construction was taken by Nicolas de Harlay de Sancy (1546-1629), a great dignitary of the courts of Henry III and Henry IV, who made it his residence.

The castle consists of a two-storey square dungeon, dated from the end of the sixteenth century, and a body of building joined in square, added at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The ensemble is surrounded by moat forming a rectangular canal, and accessible by a stone bridge replacing an old drawbridge. The pink brick facades, characteristic of local architecture, contrast with the two towers by a pepper tower flanking the dungeon. Originally, the communes occupied the north side of the court, but were moved in the 19th century beyond the moat, near the stables and the dovecote.

Ranked in the inventory of historical monuments since October 16, 1961, the castle comprises 15 main rooms and retains protected elements, such as facades, roofs, chapel (former transformed tower) and moat. Its access is via an alley of trees leading to the facade, in a wooded setting close to the forest of Orleans. The site, located 120 metres above sea level, is crossed by the course of the Huillard, a local tributary.

In the 19th century, a crenellated square tower was added to the southern facade of the dungeon, partially changing its original appearance. The castle, although partially open to contemporary uses (visits, rentals), remains an architectural testimony of the transitions between Renaissance and classical times, marked by the influence of its sponsor, a major figure in French diplomacy of the time.

External links