Château de la Rochecourbon

English translation

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History

Pierre Loti stayed in this château where he wrote his novel "La Belle au Bois dormant". Of rectangular plan, the château is flanked by two large round towers which limit its western façade overlooking the gardens leading to a body of water. The eastern façade, very plain, overlooks the honour courtyard raised one storey above the garden level. From this garden, a double-spiral staircase provides access to a terrace. At the far end of this terrace, a row of four columns supports a balcony with a stone balustrade of the 17th century. The towers were formerly crowned with hourds of which only the bases remain as well as the corbels which surmounted them and which formed machicolations. The ground floor, which opens onto the terrace, comprises the former guard rooms, vaulted with barrel vaults. The first floor comprises a hall with a large stone staircase and wrought-iron ramp, lounge, dining room and kitchen. The ceilings of these rooms feature exposed beams and Renaissance paintings. On the second floor, a corridor running along the western façade leads to the furnished bedrooms. The third floor houses the former granary, covered with a roof structure forming a truss. The building was burned on 25 December 1944.