Clan Rising
Château des Stuarts today

France · Restored

Château des Stuarts

The Château d'Aubigny (known in France as the Château des Stuarts) is the historic seat in Aubigny‑sur‑Nère long held by a junior branch of the Scottish House of Stewart. The present building shows a compact medieval courtyard castle with multiple round towers and steep slate roofs forming the core of the ensemble.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1429

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1429

What Château des Stuarts looked like in its prime.

Compact courtyard castle of pale, weathered limestone with lighter squared ashlar quoins around windows and corners. A central arched gatehouse is flanked by twin cylindrical towers with tall conical slate roofs; additional round and polygonal towers rise along the ranges. Long steep slate roofs punctured by small dormer windows and brick chimneys link the ranges. The castle closes onto a paved courtyard with low planting against the walls; façades show regular rectangular windows with stone surrounds.

Its story

The story of Château des Stuarts.

The Château d'Aubigny, known to the French as the Château des Stuarts, is an ancestral seat of a junior branch of the Scottish House of Stewart in the ancient province of Berry, its lords bearing the territorial title Seigneur d'Aubigny. The estate was first acquired by Sir John Stewart of Darnley, 1st Comte d'Évreux, 1st Seigneur de Concressault and 1st Seigneur d'Aubigny, a fourth cousin of King James I of Scotland, third monarch of the House of Stewart.

The present building shows a compact medieval courtyard castle, its multiple round towers under steep slate roofs forming the core of the ensemble. Nor did the Stewart presence in Berry end at Aubigny: the Château de la Verrerie at Oizon, fourteen miles to the south-east, was another Stewart seat.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1429.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Château des Stuarts, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Exterior approach from the town squareCentral gatehouse arch and frontageEnclosed paved courtyardBase of the left cylindrical towerRight residential wing façadeView from a tower summit over the town

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Whose castle

Clans who held Château des Stuarts.

The families that held Château des Stuarts for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Stewart

    Ancestral seat of the Stewarts of Darnley, Seigneurs d'Aubigny, from its acquisition by Sir John Stewart of Darnley, 1st Seigneur d'Aubigny.

Questions about Château des Stuarts

What is the history of Château des Stuarts?

Château des Stuarts was built in the early 16th century after the fire of 1512. Robert Stuart d’Aubigny commissioned the present building, which became the ancestral seat of a junior branch of the Scottish House of Stewart. Further modifications and restorations took place in the 17th and 19th centuries.

Why was Château des Stuarts built, and what was it used for?

Château des Stuarts was built as an ancestral seat of the Stewarts of Darnley, Seigneurs d’Aubigny. The estate was first acquired by Sir John Stewart of Darnley, who held the territorial title Seigneur d’Aubigny. It is currently used as a town hall and museum, and houses the Centre for interpreting the Auld Alliance.

Who owns Château des Stuarts now?

Château des Stuarts is owned by Robert Stewart, 4th Lord of Aubigny. It has been a classified historical monument since 1862. The ownership information identifies Robert Stewart rather than the heritage designation as the owner.

Where is Château des Stuarts?

Château des Stuarts is in Aubigny-sur-Nère, in the ancient province of Berry. The castle stands in the commune of Aubigny-sur-Nère, in the Cher department. Aubigny-sur-Nère is the nearest named town and administrative locality supplied for the castle.

When was Château des Stuarts built?

The present Château des Stuarts belongs to the early 16th century, although the date when the first castle was raised is not recorded. The building was constructed after the fire of 1512. Its 17th- and 19th-century modifications and restorations mean that the surviving ensemble developed in several phases.

Is Château des Stuarts still standing or is it a ruin?

Château des Stuarts is a restored castle that still stands. Its compact medieval courtyard arrangement has multiple round and polygonal towers, with steep slate roofs, and the ranges enclose a paved courtyard. Modifications and restorations were carried out in the 17th and 19th centuries.

What did Château des Stuarts look like in its prime?

Château des Stuarts is a compact courtyard castle of pale, weathered limestone with lighter ashlar quoins. A central arched gatehouse is flanked by twin cylindrical towers with tall conical slate roofs, while additional round and polygonal towers rise along the ranges. Steep slate roofs, dormer windows and brick chimneys link the buildings around the paved courtyard.

Which family or clan held Château des Stuarts?

The Stewart family held Château des Stuarts. It was an ancestral seat of the Stewarts of Darnley, whose lords bore the title Seigneurs d’Aubigny. Their connection began with the acquisition of the estate by Sir John Stewart of Darnley, 1st Seigneur d’Aubigny.
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