Château de la Rivoire

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de la Rivoire is located in the commune of Vanosc, in the Ardèche. An earlier building, owned by the Rivoire de la Tourette family, already existed in the 13th century. Sold in the early 18th century to the Pichon family, who then took the name Pichon de la Rivoire, the estate was rebuilt between 1723 and 1728 as a country house at the heart of a farming estate, in a style inspired by the bastides of Aix and the follies of the Île-de-France. The château stands on a vast terrace housing an underground orangery, with an orchard, a gardener's lodging, an elongated ornamental pond to the north and a service courtyard to the west, the whole enclosed by its original surrounding wall. A dovecote occupies the south-east corner and a monumental gateway marks the eastern entrance; the stables were completed in 1751, and the interior woodwork and fireplaces were remodelled in the mid-18th century. The entire estate, which has retained all of its original components, has been listed as a historic monument since 28 December 2001. Today a private property, the château can be visited on guided tours.