En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château du Méage is located in the commune of Rongères, in the Allier department. Its origins go back to the 13th century: an aveu (declaration of fief) of 1272 mentions Raymondin du Mayage, whose descendants paid homage for this fief until 1375. The present building, a former maison forte (fortified house), was built mainly in the 15th and 16th centuries, before undergoing alterations in the 17th and 18th centuries. It consists of a rectangular main building flanked by towers, with a spiral staircase housed in a square tower. The château retains remarkable interior decoration, notably carved fireplaces and wall paintings. It is surrounded by moats fed by a stream running along the north-west avenue, and the ensemble includes a park with a hydraulic system (moats and ponds), as well as outbuildings, a tower and a dovecote. An enclosure with walls and gateways completes the site. The Château du Méage has been listed as a historic monument (inscrit au titre des monuments historiques) since 1998 (an initial listing of 1978 having been annulled), a protection covering the building, its interior decoration, its outbuildings, its park and its enclosure. The monument remains private property.
