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Base Mérimée: Monuments historiques · France

Ancien château de Gilles de Rais

Cheneché, Vienne, France

The record

Designation
Historic monument, registered (inscrit), in part
Protection
inscrit MH partiellement
Extent of protection
Le passage voûté ; la tour nord d'habitation et la tour du trésor ; la tour de la fuie ; la tour des archives et la tour de la prison (actuellement mairie), la tour du Moulin ; la tour ouest d'habitation ; l'ancienne porte d'entrée dite passage voûté ; le bâtiment situé contre la tour ouest d'habitation (cad. B 151, 154, 155, 302, 329, 364, 366, 368, 370) : inscription par arrêté du 8 octobre 1984
Protection dates
1984/10/08 : inscrit MH
Type
château
Main period of construction
13e siècle, 16e siècle
Ownership
propriété privée
Commune
Cheneché
Département
Vienne
Region
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Country
France
Coordinates
46.73699, 0.27912
Mérimée reference
PA00105418

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1579 map "(28) Andegavensium." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

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This record on the Ministère de la Culture's POP platform ↗

The Ministère de la Culture's notice

Un castellum est cité dès 1080. Un autre château, dit "Tour de Grisse", a aujourd'hui disparu. Parmi les propriétaires se trouvent Gilles de Raitz, fidèle de Charles VII et compagnon de Jeanne d'Arc, puis Jeanne de Valois, fille naturelle de Charles VII et Agnès Sorel. A sa disparition, le château revint à la couronne de France. Du château entouré de douves se voient encore les sept tours. D'épaisses murailles les reliaient les unes aux autres. Deux tours servaient à l'habitation, situées près du pont-levis et de la tour au Trésor. Les quatre autres tours abritaient le moulin, la fuye, la prison et les archives.

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

A castellum is mentioned from 1080 onwards. Another castle, called "Tour de Grisse", has since disappeared. Among the owners were Gilles de Raitz, loyal follower of Charles VII and companion of Jeanne d'Arc, then Jeanne de Valois, natural daughter of Charles VII and Agnès Sorel. Upon her death, the castle reverted to the crown of France. Of the castle surrounded by moats, seven towers can still be seen. Thick walls connected them to one another. Two towers served as a dwelling, located near the drawbridge and the Treasury tower. The four other towers housed the mill, the dovecote, the prison and the archives.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Base Mérimée, Ministère de la Culture, data last updated 2026-09-17, reused under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab). Record text is reproduced unchanged. Ministère de la Culture · Licence Ouverte 2.0
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