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Origin and history

The Château de Renay, located in the Loir-et-Cher region of the Centre-Val de Loire, is a composite complex whose origins date back to the 15th century. A 12th century circular tower, integrated into a defensive system along the Loir (with Châteaudun or Lavardin), was redesigned in the 16th century in a Renaissance style. It is connected to 17th century buildings by a gallery rebuilt in the 19th century, replacing an old poterne with drawbridge. The partially preserved moat bear witness to its fortified past.

The seigneury of Renay, extending over 700 hectares from Chêne-Carré to La Chapelle-Enchérie, belonged from 1180 to Guillaume de Renay, then to the same family (of Courbenton, of Gallon, Guischard, of Courcillon) from 1400 to 1720. That year, financier Jean-Baptiste Geofroy Petit de Saint-Lienne, close to John Law, acquired the estate and took the title of seigneur of Renay. His eldest son passed the name Champlain to his descendants. In 1751 the seigneury was sold to the Marquis de Rochambeau, which kept it until 1816.

The castle then changed hands several times: families Raguet Lépine, Haudos de Possesse, Jeanpierre, then Roucher. In the 20th century, it belonged to the art merchant Sylvain Durand (1928–2018), specialist of Fernand Léger, whose collection and furniture were dispersed at auction. The castle, which has been a part of the Historical Monuments since 1971, now suffers from a lack of maintenance.

Architecturally, the site includes a 15th-century tower decorated with Renaissance openings, a thin building serving as a primer for the old enclosure, and a house body from the 17th in quadrilateral, flanked by two pavilions. The fief initially depended on the abbey of the Trinity of Vendôme. The façades and roofs of the 15th century tower and building have been protected since 1971.

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