The southern, or courtyard, façade of the Château de St.-Aignan.Our local château sits up on a bluff above the Cher River in Saint-Aignan. It's quite an imposing sight from down below. It's a privately owned, lived-in castle, but the public is allowed to enter the courtyard to see the building and the views from up there. There are no tours of the interior as yet, and the park grounds are closed to the public.
The western façade of the renaissance château.The renaissance château was built in the 16th century over the ruins of the medieval castle that once stood there. Some of the old castle walls and towers are still visible today.
Ramparts and a medieval tower.St.-Aignan's castle and church are the two predominant landmarks in our neighborhood. I took these pictures on Tuesday, when I was in town waiting for my passport photos to be printed.
A surviving medieval tower and wall on the western end of the courtyard.Whenever we have visiting friends we drag them up to our local castle to wander around and check out the views. It's not Chambord or Chenonceau, but we like it just the same.
Pedestrians descend a grand stair from the courtyard and end up facing the town's church.
How nice that you have a beautiful chateau in your back yard. Very nice shot of the church!
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
New Bern
What a beautiful blog! I love the Loire Valley and had the pleasure of living in Angers this past summer. Your pictures are so lovely!
ReplyDeletebettyann, thanks! It is amazing when I stop and realize that I live down the road from this!
ReplyDeleterachael, thank you! How did you like Angers? I've been there only once, and for not much time.
I loved Angers! I posted on my blog all summer to chronicle my adventures. Its a nice city that has a small town feel but plenty of big city amenities. I had the privilege of living with a French family who showed me the ropes of Angers and surrounding areas. We had the fortune of visiting Doué la Fontaine and Saumur and others. As you well know, each corner of France is as diverse as the next.
ReplyDeleteHi, nice blog.
ReplyDeleteDo you by any chance have any historical information about the chateau/original castle - mainly re the family or families who owned it in the past? The reason I ask is that part of my family were titled folk called Saint Aignan de Malherbe, who pre-Russian revolution lived in Kiev Ukraine and we were trying to dig up some of their history.
Many thanks, Andrew
balanda@redetaho.com.br
Andrew, I don't have much info about the history of the place other than what's in the Michelin guide.
ReplyDeleteYou might try contacting the local tourist office for leads:
Chateau de St. Aignan