Château de Chinon
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de Chinon, located in Chinon (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Chinon, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.1681, 0.2360
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097661
A royal fortress overlooking the Vienne River, Chinon Castle was the scene of the legendary meeting between Joan of Arc and Charles VII in 1429. Three interlocking medieval walls bear witness to a thousand years of power.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Perched on a 400-metre limestone spur overlooking the River Vienne and the slate roofs of the old town, Chinon castle is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in the Loire Valley, and one of the most steeped in history. Far from being a single castle, it is in fact a complex of three separate fortresses - Fort Saint-Georges, Château du Milieu and Fort du Coudray - joined together on the same promontory and separated by ditches cut into the solid rock. This unusual configuration immediately reveals the complexity of a site that has been occupied without interruption since Gaulish times. What makes Chinon truly unique is the fact that it belongs to two great dynasties that shaped medieval Europe. A favourite residence of the Plantagenet kings, notably Henry II and Richard the Lionheart, the fortress then passed into the hands of the Capetians before becoming the refuge of the dauphin Charles, the future Charles VII. It was here, in the great hall of the Château du Milieu, that Joan of Arc recognised the sovereign hidden among his courtiers - a seminal episode in French national consciousness. The visit offers a rare immersive experience. The museum, housed in the carefully restored royal lodgings, plunges visitors into the atmosphere of the 15th century, with models, archaeological objects from recent excavations and illuminated displays. The walls of the Tour du Coudray, where the Templars were imprisoned in the early 14th century, contain graffiti carved by these knights awaiting trial - epigraphic documents of rare emotion. The natural setting amplifies the dramatic character of the site. From the restored battlements, the view takes in the infinity of Chinon's roofs, the silvery ribbon of the Vienne and, on a clear day, the vineyards of the Saumur region stretching to the horizon. Chinon is also a museum town in its own right, the ideal place to explore before or after visiting the château, following the medieval streets that have hardly changed since Rabelais.
Architecture
Chinon castle stands on a rocky tufa plateau in an exceptional longitudinal layout, divided into three distinct enclosures from west to east: the Fort du Coudray, the Château du Milieu - the central, residential core - and the Fort Saint-Georges, now largely ruined. Dry ditches cut into the limestone separate these three entities, giving the whole a remarkable defensive depth typical of the great royal fortresses of the Lower Loire. The dominant materials are Touraine yellow tufa, a soft local stone that is easy to carve, and flint rubble. The circular, twenty-metre-high Coudray tower is a perfect example of Capetian military architecture from the early 13th century, with its meticulous construction, splayed loopholes and original wooden slabs. The Clock Tower, flanking the main entrance to the Château du Milieu, has a 14th-century bell tower and now houses a museum dedicated to Joan of Arc. The royal dwelling, rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries, features facades punctuated by large mullioned and transomed windows, dormers with flamboyant spandrels and fireplaces with sculpted mantels, all of which herald the vocabulary of the early Loire Renaissance. The great hall, more than twenty metres long, has a chestnut wood framework and restored groin vaults that bear witness to the Capetian splendour.
Related Figures
Henri II Plantagenêt — roi d'Angleterre et duc d'Anjou, il fit de Chinon sa résidence de prédilection et y mourut en 1189Philippe Auguste — roi de France, il s'empara du château en 1205 et fit édifier la tour du CoudrayJeanne d'Arc — elle y rencontra le Dauphin Charles VII le 9 mars 1429, événement fondateur de la reconquête françaiseCharles VII — dauphin puis roi de France, il résida longuement à Chinon pendant la guerre de Cent AnsJean sans Terre — roi d'Angleterre, il perdit la forteresse après le siège de Philippe Auguste en 1205François Rabelais — écrivain humaniste natif du Chinonais, il évoqua la ville et son château dans Gargantua et PantagruelPhilippe IV le Bel — ordonna en 1307 l'arrestation des Templiers, dont les derniers dignitaires furent emprisonnés dans la tour du CoudrayJacques de Molay — dernier grand maître du Temple, détenu à Chinon avant son procès et son exécution en 1314
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de Chinon located?
Château de Chinon is located in Chinon, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Château de Chinon built?
Château de Chinon dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de Chinon open to visitors?
Château de Chinon is currently closed to visitors.