Château du Rivau

P3

Former Castle Le Rivau

Castle Le Rivau is located near Chinon in the Centre region of France. The lands were since the 11th century belonged to the related with the Count of Anjou Beauveau.

Family Chronicle

In the 13th century the family entered the service of the kings of France, and many of its members lost their lives for the Kingdom. 1438 resulted from the marriage of Isabelle de Beauvau with Jean II de Bourbon eventually even family connections to the royal family.

When Pierre de Beauvau, first chamberlain of Charles VII, in 1438 with Anne de Fontenay married, she brought the Rivau castle as a dowry to the marriage. 1442 was the Chamberlain then allowed to fix the lock. His successor François de Beauvau, first equerry King Francis I, was built in 1510 large-scale stables to establish a horse breeding, from which the cavalry King Francis I drew its stallions. In the 17th century the stud of Le Rivau had become the most important in Touraine. 1429, incidentally, was Jeanne d'Arc with her followers on Le Rivau to pick out horses there for the fight against the English besiegers of Orleans.

In the 17th century the building was apparently neither right nor castle castle by the influence of the Renaissance. The demolition by Richelieu, who brooked no stately buildings near his own castle, Le Rivau was spared only because the sister of Cardinal Jean de Beauvau had married. End of the 17th century, the Beauvau family left the Touraine and moved to the Lorraine. Le Rivau had been 247 years in its possession.

Restoration project

End of the 20th century, transferred a 10-year restoration, the building back into a medieval defense system with trockengelegtem moat, drawbridge, machicolated and loopholes.

Into the interior of the castle can be reached from the courtyard via a spiral staircase. Above the entrance you can see the motto of Beauvau family: sans Beauveau départir. The main beam of the building have the dimensions 80 cm x 60 cm and are thus larger in cross section than in any other Loire castles. The trees needed for this were 300 years old when they were felled.

The great hall is lined with fire bricks from the Touraine. The windows of the west front have been enlarged during the Renaissance. The original vine leaf decoration of the fireplace could be obtained.

The Gardens

The gardens of the castle have been recognized by the Ministry of Culture as " remarkable gardens " There are 12 themed gardens. The Lavender node beds, gargantuan vegetable garden, the enchanted forest, the path of Tom Thumb, Alice in Riveauland, the discounts of delights, the Garden Theater, the amorous forest, the current forest, the Cassinina, the fragrant avenue, the paradise orchard, the garden of magic potions and the secret garden. They are really fabulous and you feel in fairy tales, myths and legends from literature and folklore recalls.

Tenor in all parts of the garden are special plant collections, Humor, Games and artistic creation. The visitor can walk the paths of dwarfs, giants, good fairies and mythical creatures.