Château de La Chèze

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de La Chèze is a fortified castle standing on a hill overlooking the commune of Le Cheylard, in Ardèche. Its origins date back to the 13th century, when it is mentioned in connection with the lordship of Tournon. During the Wars of Religion it served as a Protestant stronghold in the early 1620s, before being fitted out for greater comfort in the 18th century under the Portalès family. Under the First Empire, it housed for a time a college run by Jesuits. The building was largely destroyed by fire on 6 July 1944, during the fighting of the Battle of Le Cheylard, after having sheltered Resistance fighters. Bought by the commune, it was restored from 1989 onwards by the Association pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine boutiérois, a volunteer project that continued until 2018. The building combines medieval defensive features (arrow slits, gunports, hoardings, bretèches, drawbridge pit) with later openings in the Renaissance and Classical styles, including 15th- and 16th-century cross-mullioned windows and 18th-century arched windows. The estate includes a freely accessible landscaped park planted with century-old trees, among them a giant sequoia. Owned by the commune of Le Cheylard, the château is not protected as a historic monument. It is open to visitors in July and August, with fifteen rooms offering historical reconstructions and an educational trail.