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La Gadelière, a former medieval village and fortress, had a certain importance during the Hundred Years War period in the system of defense against the English who occupied Verneuil-sur-Avre.
Around the fortress several constructions have been preserved: the village church, dedicated to Saint-Martin, from the Romanesque period, restored in the 16th century and with a decorated ceiling and painted walls; the small house of the banal oven dating from the 12th century and the octagonal dovecote. The ruins of the old village served as the basis for the construction of a model farm around 1880.
In the Middle Ages, the fortress consisted of a defense tower in the west for the garrison, a staircase tower in the south (which probably collapsed at the time of the Fronde) and a house in ballast. A wall of curtain walls to the north completed the defense of this complex.
A new defense tower, pierced with gunboats and resting on the old curtain wall was erected between 1515 and 1523, when this stronghold was restored after the Hundred Years War.
From the beginning of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, the fortress undoubtedly only served as a garrison until its transformation from 1895 into a residential house by the opening of many windows, while retaining its characteristics of the Middle Ages. Age.
The visit of the Château de la Gadelière aims to discover how a place of defense from the Middle Ages in the middle of a village has retained its original characteristics despite the changes in the mode of occupation at the end of the 19th century, by means of a model which makes it possible to understand the architectural evolution.
Exhibitions and concerts are organized from time to time at the castle. Visit the castle's website for more information.
Spoken languages
- English
Visit
- Average duration of the individual visit: 45 min
Services
Equipments
- Free parking
Services
- Pet Friendly
- Site accessible to strollers
Prices & payment methods
€5 per person, free for children under 16.
Bank card payment accepted.
Reservations and payments possible on the chateau's website.
- CB
Opening
Closed the rest of the year with the exception of Heritage Days weekend, guided tours at 14 p.m., 15 p.m., 16 p.m., 17 p.m.
