Our Blog - Château d'Apremont

We are always on the lookout for places that allow dogs, and luckily, the Château d'Apremont had no problems with Lucy coming along with us. Mind you, it is somewhat in ruins, although not as bad as some ruined château's that we have been to. Built between 1534 and 1542, it is one of the first Renaissance castles built in the Vendée department, on the location of a medieval fortress from the 11th century. The name Apremont comes from Gallo-Roman times when it was called Asper-Mons, which means rough mountain.

The North entry was the only one that has a gatehouse entrance, which still bears the traces of a drawbridge. The other 3 sides were well protected, two by deep natural valleys and the other by a river.

The Chapel was built in the 16th century and still has the ornate carvings around the door. It now has holograms and videos that tell the story of the original owner.

The East Tower is 40 meters tall and has a balustrade that protects a wide walkway near the top.

There were several comfortable rooms in this tower, and here we see Lucy investigating the fireplace.

Here we have the West tower, which still has some very nice mullioned windows.

At the base of the West tower is the Horsemen's tunnel, which is pretty unique. The tunnel was the main access to the castle during the 16th century. It is dug into the rock and leads from the river into the castle. Those visiting the castle would come by boat with their horses, and then ride their horses up through this tunnel to the castle.

And just a picture from the yard, positioned so that you can see both towers.

Underground ice house is cut 20 meters long into the rock and was used to keep perishable food hidden.

From the chateau, you can see the Église Saint-Martin d'Apremont. It was built in 1902 on the site of a 15th century church, and is in neo-Gothic style.