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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Grand Coudray, located in Chappes in the department of Allier (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), is a building whose origins date back to the 15th century. It is characterized by a U-shaped structure, with a 17th century central body framed by two medieval towers and moat surrounding three sides. The Coudray seigneury was attested as early as the 12th century, but the present castle preserved mainly elements of the 15th and 17th centuries, with changes in the 19th century.

The castle develops around an open courtyard, with communes on the left and a wall remaining from the right building body. The main façade, probably dating from the 17th century, is flanked by two medieval round towers, one of which serves as a dovecote. The moat and three round towers of the 15th century bear witness to its defensive past. The ensemble, registered with historical monuments in 2010, thus combines medieval heritage and classical transformations.

In the 17th century, a new castle was erected on the foundations of the ancient, preserving a medieval tower as a vestige. Two appentis, including a chapel with a bell tower, complete the whole. The left tower, modified at the beginning of the 20th century, has traces of its use as a dovecote. The site, private property, is open to visit, offering a representative example of the architectural evolution between the Middle Ages and the modern era in Bourbonnais.

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