France · Restored
Château du Rivau
Château du Rivau is a fortified manor-house in Lémeré, Touraine, France, notable for its 13th-century keep, round towers and Renaissance-era alterations. It has historically housed royal stables and extensive formal gardens and has been restored since the late 20th century.
First raised
1445
Its prime
1520
Today
Restored
As it stood in 1520
The shape it held in its prime.
A compact, square white‑tufa keep forms the centre, rising with a machicolated cornice and a steep, dark slate roof; it is flanked by cylindrical round towers capped with pointed conical slate roofs. The masonry is pale, with narrow vertical arrow slits and rectangular windows puncturing the façades. Low curtain walls and outbuildings cluster around a central courtyard; the immediate setting opens onto cultivated formal gardens and flower beds, with mature trees behind the castle.
Its story
The story of Château du Rivau.
The Château du Rivau is bound to the Beauvau family, who served the Kings of France from the 13th century and were related to the Counts of Anjou — holding the privilege of paying homage to their suzerain with a sword at their side, standing, and wearing their hats. The alliance reached the royal family itself when Isabeau de Beauvau married Jean II de Bourbon in 1454, and Le Rivau remained in the family's possession for 247 years.
In 1429, towards the end of the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc and her followers came to Le Rivau to fetch horses — the estate was renowned for the quality of its equipage and the war horses raised there. In 1510 François de Beauvau, captain of King Francis I, built the stables that supplied royal stallions and later housed the stallions of Henry III. In the 17th century Le Rivau was protected by Richelieu, whose sister Françoise was married to Jean de Beauvau, lord of Rivau.
When the Beauvau became princes of Lorraine they left Touraine, and in 1768 the marquis Michel-Ange de Castellane, lord of Villandry, acquired Le Rivau, staying with his family until 1796. Rabelais had already given the castle a life in fiction, awarding it to captain Tolmere in Gargantua as a reward for his victories in the Picrocholean Wars. Classified a monument historique since 1918, the castle and winery have been under renovation since 1992.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1520.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Château du Rivau — including 2 interiors: dining hall with painted mantelpiece, interior of the royal stables. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Château du Rivau with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1520 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held Château du Rivau.
The families that held Château du Rivau for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
Beauvau
Held Le Rivau for 247 years; François de Beauvau built the royal stables in 1510.
Castellane
Acquired by the marquis Michel-Ange de Castellane in 1768; the family stayed until 1796.
