Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, Ainay-le-Vieil, France

Built in 1300, Château d’Ainay-le-Vieil is surrounded by a moat of running water. Jacques Coeur bought the château in 1435 and Charles de Bigny (ancestor of the current owners) acquired in 1467. He built the main building in the late Gothic with Italian style.

In the large living room, a fireplace, one of the most beautiful fireplaces of the Loire Valley, remains of the visit of King Louis XII and Queen Anne of Brittany. For the chapel and its unique wall paintings, Charles appealed to Bigny workshop working on the cathedral of Bourges.

Memories of the Grand Colbert, minister of Louis XIV and Colbert’s all three brothers Napoleon's generals, are also presented.

In the park is a delightful and sweet-smelling rose garden. Some of the varieties of roses which are grown here date back to the 15th century.

References:

Eyewitness Travel Guide: Loire Valley. 2007
Château d’Ainay-le-Vieil

User Reviews

Vincent Keat (13 months ago)
An interesting castle but a bit off putting during the guided tour. The entire party kept getting locked in because the guide kept locking the doors. This wasn’t helped by him telling us to move forward and then waiting at each door. Once might be just a bit careless but this happened 5 or 6 times and was getting embarrassing.

Lars Erickson (2 years ago)
We stayed at Chateau D’Ainay-le-Vieil while traveling through France and loved it! It was the most amazing place to stay and with only 5 rooms you are guaranteed peace and quiet. The rooms were elegant and clean with lovely bathrooms. The chateau was lovely and we enjoyed relaxing in the drawing room but the gardens were the highlight. They were beautiful and the fact we had them to ourselves made it even nicer.

Robert McElhone (2 years ago)
Excellent. Stayed just the one night and wish it was longer. Alex got our bags into the golf buggy and took us to our sensational and large room with modern ensuite. Great dinner in the restaurant and picnic breakfast delivered to our door. Wonderful grounds to walk around. Very relaxing and highly recommend.

Mia Mai (2 years ago)
We stay in this castle’s room for one night. Alex and his wife were really nice and helpful. We enjoy the garden, the silent castle during night, and the beautiful castle. We are so excited to stay here and we love this experience.

Erwin T (2 years ago)
Really a nice castle, the guide did the tour with lots of passion. Tip: please improve/expand the English version of the tour. An audio goude would also be great. Extra points: for the charge station. Free charging ❤️ The lovely restaurant: food and service are very good!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Ninara

Historic Site of the week

The Church of the Holy Cross

The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).

The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.

The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.

The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.

Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

The Church of the Holy Cross