Exploring a 12th Century French Castle with Secret Passages!

A big thank you to Gonzague Le Nail at Cabinet Le Nail for the opportunity to tour this stunning French Castle! A link where you can find the castle for sale on Cabinet Le Nail’s website can be found at the end of this description.

Come tour this renovated 12th century French castle, located in the beautiful Indre department of France. Priced at €3,750,000, Chateau St. Chartier offers a blend of historical charm and modern luxury, set in an picturesque countryside setting.

Phil’s Note:

My jaw dropped when I first saw Chateau Saint Chartier. We were driving in from Chateauroux, and I saw one of the towers of the Castle. The car’s navigation system said we were still 5 minutes away, and I thought it must be wrong — that couldn’t be it — but then we continued to approach, seeing more towers and spires as we got closer, until it dominated our field of view. I hope we captured the castle’s imposing feeling in this video.

It certainly has captured our imagination. We’d also like to thank the owner of the castle, Ivo Fornesa, for his hospitality and for letting us tour his beautiful castle. He had amazing stories about the castle, and look for a video with him soon.

I mentioned he’s an author of over 50 books, and I’d like to recommend his book, Death in Saint-Chartier, which is available here: https://amzn.to/4cbxFzx

Castle History

The history of this property is long and rich. It had it’s beginnings as a fortified Benedictine monastery from the 6th century, when a monk from Syria, Santus Carterius, came to evangelize and build a monastery. The defensive aspects of the site were built up more over the years, and the first mention of a castle on the property was in 1102 by the Archbishop of Bourges when he was visiting the area. More is known when André de Chauvigny (1150-1202), cousin to Richard the Lionheart, was given Saint-Chartier when he married Denise de Deols, Countess of Devon. The authors George Sand and Alexandre Dumas were apparently common guests at the castle, and it must have served as inspiration for their many works. Rumor has it that Joan of Arc even stayed at the property during one of her campaigns, and that Napoleon stopped by St. Chartier after his loss at Waterloo and buried his personal treasure on the property.

The castle’s high towers, spacious rooms, and centuries-old architecture reflect its long history. The grand rooms on the second floor open to a terrace with breathtaking views of the surrounding park. Inside, you’ll find stunning features like parquet and marble floors, monumental fireplaces, and a beautifully chapel with stained glass.

Main Castle Layout:

Ground Floor: Entry Foyer, Dining Room, Lounge, Kitchen, Library, Powder Room, and Bathroom.
First Floor: The Red Room, The Great Room, A chapel, Salon.
1st Mezanine Floor:
Library with a Secret Passage to a Bedroom with Enstuite Bathroom. One Additional Room and Passage to the next Floor.
Second Floor: Primary Bedroom suite with Bedroom, Study, Ensuite Bathroom and dressing room, Secondary Green Bedroom with Ensuite Bathroom.
Second Mezanine Floor: The Blue Bedroom with Ensuite Bath, Home Office.
Third Floor: Game room, Bathroom, and Staff Flat with 3 Bedrooms, Living Room, Kitchen, Bathroom and access to the Watchtower.

Outbuildings and Parkland

The estate includes a partially restored 15th-century annex house, office, tavern, stable, and tack room. The park, enclosed by walls for privacy, features ornamental trees, paths, a vegetable garden, and an orchard with cherry, apple, walnut, and pear trees.

Park Details:

Area: 12.1 Acres
Features: Large ornamental trees, reconstructed paths from the 19th century, vegetable garden, and hundreds of newly planted fruit trees.

For the full listing, click below:

https://www.cabinetlenail.com/en/annonces/ref-na4-1277/15th-century-castle-with-neo-gothic-decoration-for-sale-in-chateauroux/

We mentioned a video from the Chateau Diaries where Stephanie tours Chateau de Saint-Chartier with Ivo and they talk about many of the objects found in the castle. That video can be found here:

Thanks again to Gonzague Le Nail for the tour. Make sure to check out his company’s YouTube page at: https://www.youtube.com/@cabinetlenail8031

Follow Philip on Instagram at @philwells_re
If you’d like to get in touch, his email is philip@philipwells.com

I’d like to thank the following professionals, without which this video could not have been made.

Director: Tommy Lukrich
Videography: Tommy Lukrich
Drone Operator: Vincent Durouchoux
Video Editor: Josh Good
Animations: Josh Good

We’re in France, touring this 12th Century defensive castle That survived the Hundred Years’ War With 20,000 square feet Of grand reception rooms Secret Passages Elegant Bedrooms A watchtower Outbuildings dating all the way back to 700 AD And even a dungeon We’re taking you through every nook and cranny of this estate All this can be yours for only $4,000,000 Let’s go. Welcome to Chateau Saint Chartier A place of mystery and intrigue In settings like this, rumors abound Napoleon buried his secret treasure on the grounds Joan of Arc slept in one of the bedrooms here France’s Public Enemy #1 hid in the outbuildings as he was escaping the authorities And after you see how amazing this castle is Even you might start to believe the rumors Let’s take a look. I saw—this— and knew I had to come here Now what makes St. Chartier so impressive Is it was an actual defensive castle from the 12th century What makes it so amazing, too, is that it’s been restored to amazing condition Which I can’t wait to show you when we go inside Let’s take a look. We have a couple other defenders here… They are a blend of Saint Bernard and Great Pyrenees Tommy: "Oh, kisses!" So we have this nice courtyard We have a grill over here This would be a great place to hang out And we’re going to take you straight inside Now come into the entrance hall Now this nice spacious room is in between the kitchen and the dining room We have a powder room right here And Tommy, I’m going to take you straight upstairs Because I want to show off some of the really grand rooms right away And we’re going to cover the ground floor a little bit later