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The Château
du Rivau is
intimately linked to the Beauvau family
who were related to the Counts of Anjou and fought under their
banner. In the 13th century they went on to serve the
kings of
France
and in 1454 were allied directly to the royal family through the
marriage of Jean II de Bourbon to Isabeau
de Beauvau. Many members of the
Beauvau family have, over the centuries,
given their lives for
France.
 In
1429, before the siege of
Orleans,
Joan of Arc and her followers came to fetch horses at
Rivau, a place renowned for the quality
of its ‘war’ horse breeding and training. The chateau
was fortified in the mid 15th century but was modified to
be the chateau you see today during the Renaissance. The monumental
stables in the outbuildings, that
supplied royal stallions were constructed in 1510 by François de
Beauvau, a captain of
François I.
They are currently being restored back to their original design.
 Rivau was saved in
the 17th century by
Richelieu
as his sister Françoise was married to Jean de
Beauvau, lord of Rivau, it had
remained in his family for nearly 250 years before being acquired by
marquis Michel-Ange de
Castellane, lord of
Villandry, he stayed here with his family
until 1796.
Like a lot
of Loire Chateau it went into decline until it received a ten year
restoration programme, starting in 1992, to restore some of its
former splendour. You can visit a few of
the internal rooms of the chateau which although sparsely furnished
give you a taste of what life may have been like back in its hayday. You can sit at a window seat and view the splendid gardens
as they must surely have in the past. These gardens which should be viewed prior to the chateau visit are now renowned for their light
and airy "fairytale" feeling. Designed by
proprietor and modern art collector Patricia Laigneau as an
historical recreation of Middle Ages
gardens, you'll enjoy the
contemporary art installations, including carvings and giant legs running through the trees!
The 12 uniquely designed gardens include ‘The Enchanted
Forrest’, ‘The Lover’s Wood’, ‘The Orchard of Paradise’ and ‘The
Secret Garden’ all to explore. A few of these are still at a
very 'young' stage as they have replaced
original gardens but this
does not take away from the overall feeling of the pleasure they
provide. Very young children may very well come away enchanted!
Iwww.chateaudurivau.com
There is a programme of concerts and events including a
pumpkin festival in autumn. Discounted entry for RHS members.
Tip:
This chateau should be added to your itinerary when 'doing' Chinon and Abbeye de
Fontevraud even at the expense of chateau at Montsoreau.
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