Erected at the end of the 15th century by Bonifacio d’Avise, the Avise castle comprises a three-story building sided by a quadrangular tower. The motto of the Lords of Avise, Qui tost Avise tart se repent, is inscribed on the main portal. The monument has recently been restored and currently hosts events and temporary exhibitions. Worth discovering is the vast interior room with the fireplace, the furniture and the pewter collection; as well as the frescoes, the ‘chamber of the safe’ and the ‘chamber of corbels’, thus called because of the fourteen carved wood corbels portraying animals, monsters and figures in fifteenth century garments. These elements suggest that the Avise family commissioned art objects according to the ‘official’ taste of the period.
The castle is not open to visitors since it houses a wine bar and restaurant.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.