The Château de Fougères-sur-Bièvre

A local fortress

Fougères is distinguished from other great châteaux by a more sober and robust architecture, mixing the styles of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

The walls of the château of Fougères-sur-Bièvre are made from the hard limestone of Beauce. The softer and whiter tufa limestone, from the Cher valley, was used for the more decorative elements.

History of the château

In 1030, the title of Lord of Fougères belonged to a vassal of the Count of Blois. During the Hundred Years War, the château fell into the hands of the English, who abandoned it in 1429, in ruins.

In 1470, Pierre de Refuge, advisor to Prince Charles of Orleans and treasurer of King Louis XI, converted the château into a small fortress to act as a defence of the surrounding agricultural lands. Between 1510 and 1520, Jean de Villebresme, grandson of Pierre de Refuge, modified the château, adding Renaissance decorations and a covered gallery.

In 1789, the château was acquired by René Lambot, owner of the neighbouring Château de Boissay, who installed a spinning jenny, which was in operation between 1812 and 1901. Listed as a Historic Monument in 1912, the building became state property in 1932.

The Château de Fougères in the image of a small Middle Ages castle, distinguished from the great châteaux of the Loire by the absence of ostentation, despite the limited embellishments made during the Renaissance.