Château de l'Espinay

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de l'Espinay, also known as the former Château de la Rivière, is located in Champeaux, in Ille-et-Vilaine. It stands beside the Palet stream, near the Étang de la Rivière. Its history begins in the second half of the 14th century, when Simon d'Espinay took possession of a defensive stronghold. Around 1500, a Gothic manor house was added, with its pepperpot towers and its spiral staircase. Around 1580, Jean d'Espinay and Marguerite de Scépeaux radically remodelled the façade in the Renaissance style: rubble masonry rendered with slate-lined string courses, dormer windows in tuffeau, and sculpted carvings bearing their monograms. In 1594, the architect Julien Ricand built the seigneurial chapel. The d'Espinay family, influential at the court of the Dukes of Brittany and later at the royal court, also founded the neighbouring collegiate church. The château is listed as a monument historique.