The Château de Ricey-Bas is a former

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, converted to a ''

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. No ...

'', in the ''

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of

Les Riceys Les Riceys () is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. It is situated in an important viticultural area, and in particular is known for Rosé des Riceys wine. With its 866 ha of vines, it is the commune that has the large ...

, in the

Aube Aube () is a French department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...

'' of France.

Description

The castle is attached to a park and surrounded by the Laigne river.

History

Robert de Ricey had a

fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. United States In the United States, historically a fortified house was often calle ...

constructed in 1086. This

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in ...

was destroyed by the king. In 1424,

Nicolas Rolin Nicolas Rolin (1376–1462) was a leading figure in the history of Burgundy and France, becoming chancellor to Philip the Good (Philip III, Duke of Burgundy). Born into a bourgeois family in Autun, Rolin's first marriage in 1398 was part of a t ...

had a new castle built on the site which had been given to him by the

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsbu ...

. This became a residence for the Bishops of Chalons-sur-Saône. Marie d'Amboise, who was the tenant of the fiefdom, modified the castle in 1450, notably with two towers. One of the towers is named after Anne de Laval; she had a new tower, 12 metres in diameter, built, as well as a gallery, in 1506. The manor became a

marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

ate in 1659 for Louis Vignier. The château is privately owned and not open to the public. It was added to the list of ''

monuments historiques ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

'' in 1967, and classified in 1979 and 1985. The park and gardens, designed by

André Le Nôtre André Le Nôtre (; 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700), originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Lo ...

, are open to the public between April and August."CHÂTEAU DE RICEY-BAS ET PARC DU CHÂTEAU"
''Le Petit Futé'' . Retrieved 29 December 2018.

References

External links

*
The Grounds of Château Ricey-Bas
Les Jardins du Grand-Est Castles in Grand Est Monuments historiques of Grand Est Châteaux in Aube Buildings and structures in Aube {{France-castle-stub

Description

History

See also

References

External links