For me, few things are as captivating and fascinating to explore as old buildings and castles. Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers, a castle located in Les Trois-Moutiers, a few hours drive from Paris, is no exception. This elegant and spectacular castle from the 14th century was destroyed in a fire in 1932, but there are still quite a few surprises to discover inside… What a place!
Borgen Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers is located in the middle of the woods in the Poitou-Charentes region, in the west of France.
Its moat and walls tells of a place with a rich history of elegance, aristocracy and intrigue.
No matter where you turn, you can see how nature has conquered the balconies and the high arches. But centuries ago, this castle was a place for the rich and the famous.
If you look closely, you can imagine the castle in its former glory. Magnificent!
The castle used to belong to the famous Bauçay family. They are said to have had close relations with several generations of the french royal family.
During the Middle Ages, England conquered the castle on two different occasions and it soon became known as a lace where noblemen held extravagant parties.
But the festivities soon ended… During the the French Revolution, the castle was completely destroyed.
In 1809, François Hennecart, a rich Frenchman, bought the castle. He wanted to restore everything to its former glory.
About 50 years later, it was taken over by Lejeune Edgar, a wealthy relative of Napoleon III.
Once again, the castle’s beautiful arches and halls were filled with prominent guests.
Everything was built to impress. Just look at these windows in the chapel.
The chapel is the only part that is still intact.
One of the cellar vaults in the basement is open to visitors.
Although centuries have passed since this beautiful castle was built, some parts of it are still preserved.
Unfortunately, much of the building was destroyed in a fire in 1932. A library filled with rare books, antique furniture and valuable paintings were burnt by the flames.
After the fire, the castle was left untouched for decades, until 1981, when math teacher Marc Deyemer bought the land with the hope of restoring the buildings.
But since Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers had been abandoned for so many years, nature had taken over. Plants and trees had slowly began to conceal the castle’s former glory.
Marc Deyemer unfortunately didn’t finish his dream project and the castle remained in ruin.
Later, the surrounding forest and Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers were sold to French bank Crédit Lyonnais. They divided the land to be able to sell smaller parts of it so now, many different landowners own different parts of the area.
In recent years several non-profit organizations have been created to rebuild the castle, but so far nothing has been done. Nature continues to rule, year after year.
Regardless, doesn’t it just look like the most magical place?
Hard to argue that Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers isn’t an incredible sight in its winter glory.
Pictures published by Newsner with permission of photographer John Pilkington, where another source isn’t provided. See more stunning photos of Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers by John.
If you found this castle as fascinating as I did, please pass this on.
