Château de la Rivière

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de la Rivière stands at Châtenoy (Loiret), at the end of an avenue of trees leading to its façade of pink brick. It replaces a medieval castle of uncertain location, probably ruined during the Hundred Years' War, and was built by Nicolas de Harlay, a senior dignitary at the courts of Henri III and Henri IV. The building combines a square keep of two storeys, dating from the late sixteenth century, and a wing attached at right angles to the south, from the early seventeenth century. Rectangular moats surround it; a stone bridge, which replaced the drawbridge, leads to a large segmental-arched gateway opening onto the vestibule of the keep, itself flanked by two pepperpot turrets. The outbuildings, originally located north of the courtyard, were moved in the nineteenth century beyond the moat, towards the stables and the dovecote, and a crenellated square tower was built against the keep. Listed as a monument historique since 16 October 1961 (façades and roofs, the former tower converted into a chapel, moats and bridge), the château is privately owned.