En un regard
Le château en bref
In the Marne valley, between Châlons and Vitry-le-François, the Château de Vitry-la-Ville is a moated residence set in a carefully composed landscape of water. According to tradition, Hughes Mathé, receveur général des finances of Champagne, began its construction in 1608, and the gardens were laid out around 1650 by Jean de Bar, a pupil of Le Nôtre. In 1723, Jean Morel acquired the estate and added two wings; it then passed by marriage to the du Boys de Riocour family, who kept it until 1993. Built of chalk under a slate roof, on a single storey, the château is surrounded by moats fed by the Guenelle, diverted for this purpose, and by a water mirror; access is by a drawbridge and a wrought-iron gate attributed to Raygrenau. The château and its park have been listed as a site since 1980, and its façades, roofs, outbuildings, pavilions, gates, moats and bridges have been registered as monuments historiques since 12 June 1990. It is privately owned.