Site icon Castle of Ainay-le-Vieil

A medieval and Renaissance castle

Aerial view of the castle of Ainay le Vieil

Aerial view of the castle of Ainay le Vieil

A medieval and Renaissance castle

The castle of Ainay-le-Vieil is a plain fortress dating from the 13th century located in the Cher (18).

The castle was built on the site of an older fortress. Inside the enclosure, two dwellings were created: the feudal dwelling in the 13th century and the Renaissance dwelling in the 15th century.

The keep disappeared during the Renaissance and was replaced by a main building. The castle of Ainay-le-Vieil has two parts, one medieval and the other pre-Renaissance.

Discover the Château d'Ainay le Vieil

Discover an undefeated medieval fortress

The fortified enclosure, built in the second half of the 13th century, is octagonal, irregular, surrounded by wide water ditches, flanked by seven cylindrical towers with archways and equipped with a two-towered gatehouse. It still has its ramparts with the walkway overlooking the moat and the courtyard. They made it possible to go all the way around the enclosure. The drawbridge was replaced in the 19th century by a standing bridge.

Le châtelet était consacré à la défense de la forteresse dont il protégeait l’unique entrée. Très bien conservé, il est un très bon exemple pratiquement intact de l’architecture militaire de l’époque. Il possède toujours ses deux corps de garde.
Le logis féodal est adossé aux remparts. Ce bâtiment quadrangulaire était le logis seigneurial
directement relié au corps de garde par une galerie extérieure couverte. La salle de l’étage du logis était la “grande salle” seigneuriale. C’était le centre de la vie du château, là où le Seigneur exerçait son pouvoir civil, administratif et de justice et là où il recevait ses hôtes.

Discover the Renaissance dwelling

The Renaissance dwelling was completed before 1515. Set against the enclosure wall, it is built at right angles in the only right angle of this enclosure. Its facade on the courtyard has two wings arranged on either side of the octagonal plan tower of honour which houses the staircase. The Italian influence can be seen in the imperial domed roof, which supports the dragon, and the two loggias on the façades, which were new for the time, as well as the abundant sculpted decoration.

La porte du grand escalier est surmonté d’un fronton d’une grande richesse symbolique. Le
tympan porte les armes Bigny : l’écu au lion entouré de chevesnes (pour Chevenon) surmonté d’un casque avec un chien, symbole de la fidélité́. Les portants sont deux
sirènes, la devise, “Le courage ennoblit et exalte les hommes”. Au-dessus sont les armes de France portées par l’ange, et surmontées de l’image de la Vierge portant l’enfant Jésus. La hiérarchie féodale est ainsi bien établie entre le vassal et Dieu par l’intermédiaire du roi, personnage consacré.

Inside, the large living room is remarkable for its fireplace decorated in honour ofAnne of Brittany and Louis XIIone of the most beautiful in the Loire Valley; the chapel is exceptional for its architectural elements - sculpted coffered ceiling -, wall paintings by Jean Boucher and his workshop, and stained glass windows by Lécuyera master glassmaker who worked in Bourges cathedral.

The visit is punctuated by historical and family memories and anecdotes anecdotes passed down from generation to generation.

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