Château de Cordeboeuf

En un regard

Le château en bref

Château de Cordebœuf stands about 1.5 kilometres north-east of the village of Paray-sous-Briailles, in the Allier. Built in the mid-15th century, it consists of a single massive main building (corps de logis) on a rectangular plan, flanked by four round towers; it was formerly surrounded by moats. Its three storeys are pierced by windows altered over the centuries, and its façade retains machicolations damaged by cannon fire. The west and north façades are notable for their great austerity, while a flight of steps (perron), probably of the Romantic period, softens the south façade. The château first belonged to the Dubreuil family, then to the Reynaud de Cordebœuf family; in 1503 it was held as a fief by Blaise de Chareil on behalf of the Duchess of Bourbon, with an estimated annual income of 420 livres. The building served in the defence of the territory against the English, and the Constable of Bourbon stopped there on his journey from the château de Gayette to Chantelle, before his flight to Italy. A private property, the château de Cordebœuf is not open to the public and has no historic monument protection.