Engravings of the castle 1774 (≈ 1774)
Directed by M. de Meaussé, owner.
Premier tiers du XIXe siècle
Renovation of the commons
Renovation of the commons Premier tiers du XIXe siècle (≈ 1865)
Revised buildings during this period.
19 juillet 1995
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 19 juillet 1995 (≈ 1995)
Castle, commons and chapel protected.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Castle; facades and roofs of the communes; chapel (cad. ZA 38-40, 45): registration by order of 19 July 1995
Key figures
M. de Meaussé - Owner in the 18th century
Author of engravings of 1774.
Origin and history
Villebéton Castle, located in Cloyes-les-Trois-Rivières (Eure-et-Loir), is an 18th-century reconstruction on the foundations of an old residence. It adopts a plan in L, with a main rectangular body flanked by two circular towers, remains of the original building. The 1774 engravings by M. de Meaussé, then owner, attest to the stability of its architecture until the 20th century, with very few structural changes.
In the first third of the 19th century, the estate underwent two major additions: the construction of a chapel in the park, east of the castle, and the renovation of the buildings of the communes. These transformations, as well as the preservation of external volumes, reflect a desire for modernization while respecting the architectural heritage. The castle, its communes and its chapel have been listed as historical monuments since 1995.
The building illustrates a transition between the Old Regime and the 19th century, combining inherited defensive elements (circular towers) and more recent residential or religious developments. Its present state of conservation, close to that documented in 1774, makes it a rare testimony to the evolution of rural castles in the Centre-Val de Loire.
