Restoration
Closed to the public, this Loire château is exceptionally opening its restoration site
Usually closed, the Château de Villars in the Loire is opening its doors for a weekend to showcase the progress of its restoration, launched after an alarming diagnosis in 2021.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
In La Chapelle-Villars, within the Pilat massif, a 15th-century château that is rarely open to visitors will exceptionally reopen its doors. Threatened by decades of neglect, the Château de Villars has been the subject of a major restoration programme for several years, initiated following an alarming diagnosis of its structural condition in 2021. On 19 and 20 September 2026, as part of the European Heritage Days, the public is invited to discover the various construction phases of the building and the concrete progress of the site — a rare opportunity to see how a monument in peril is being brought back to life, stone by stone.
A restoration site you can finally see from the inside
Normally, a heritage restoration site is glimpsed mainly from the outside, behind scaffolding or hoardings. At the Château de Villars in the Loire, it’s the opposite: for one weekend, this monument, usually closed to the public, will open its doors to show, from the inside, the real progress of its restoration.
A monument in peril, an emergency restoration project
The findings of the 2021 diagnosis were unequivocal: the south wing had partially collapsed, the east wing was threatened by cracks and an open corner chain, the roof structure of the east tower had collapsed, and interior decor was severely degraded. With no major restoration work for around fifty years, the château required urgent intervention. Selected in 2023 by the Loto du patrimoine, the project led by its owner Yannick Crespin received up to £300,000 in funding.
A timeline of the monument and its rescue
A visit designed as an immersion in the restoration site
Over the weekend of 19 and 20 September, visitors will be able to follow a tour dedicated to the various construction phases of the château and the progress of the ongoing work, with medieval-themed entertainment throughout both days. Open from 10am to 6pm.
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