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Origin and history

The castle of La Verrerie, located in Oizon in the Cher, takes its name from the end of the 15th century until the beginning of the 19th century. His history is intimately linked to the Stuart d'Aubigny family, Scottish lords allied to the crown of France during the Hundred Years War. In 1423 Charles VII offered the seigneury of Aubigny-sur-Nère to John Stuart, a connétable of Scotland, as a reward for his military support. The main house body and the Louis XII style chapel were built between 1495 and 1500 by Berault Stuart, grandson of Jean, ambassador and captain of the Scottish archers.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Robert Stuart de Lennox, Bérault's son-in-law and cousin, added a Renaissance-style south gallery (1520-1525) and rebuilt the town of Aubigny after a fire. The estate remained in the Stuart family until 1672, when the last heiress, Charles Stuart, died. Louis XIV then confiscated the land, assigning it in 1684 to Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Aubigny and favorite of Charles II of England. The descendants of Lennox, from this line, kept the castle until the 19th century.

In 1842, the Marquis Léonce de Vogüé bought the castle in auction after the 5th Duke of Lennox refused to pay the inheritance duties. His grandson, Louis de Vogüé, enlarged the south wing in 1894 by architect Ernest Sanson and restored the chapel around 1930. The estate, still owned by the Vogüé family, now houses classical concerts and filming, as for the show Secrets d'Histoire in 2015. The castle, surrounded by a 40-hectare pond, has been partially listed as a Historic Monument since 1926 and 1987.

The architecture of the castle reflects its successive phases of construction: the house and the chapel (late 15th) in brick and stone, the Renaissance gallery (early 16th), and the neo-Renaissance enlargements of the 19th century. The chapel, dedicated to the Virgin and consecrated in 1511, preserves paintings restored in the 1930s. The site, open to the public, combines historical heritage and cultural activities, perpetuating a legacy linked to the Franco-Scottish alliance and European aristocracy.

Future

In 1965, the castle was opened for visits, and joined the Route Jacques-Coeur. In 1978, the restaurant "La Maison d'Hélène" became "Les Bons Garçons" in 2012.

The castle has a series of prestigious classical music concerts entitled Les Rencontres Musicales de La Verrerie with a Steinway piano concert.

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