In the middle of a park near the village and the church, on a rocky outcrop at the confluence of the Dordogne and one of its tributaries, the Gestas, stands the Château de Vayres. Magnificent, it awaits us for the visit, over here ladies and gentlemen!
Say, tell me the story ofthe castle of Vayres
Passing into the hands of the Albrets, then the Albrets of Vayres (nuance) until the end of the XNUMXth century, the castle was sold by the future Henri IV to Ogier de Gourgues, who entrusted Louis de Foix, the architext of the lighthouse of Cordouan, to transform it into a pleasure chateau.
In the XNUMXth century, ahead of the works! We modify the big tower near the main entrance, the main building, we create a rectangular tower to build a staircase, a precious idea, especially to serve the floors, isn't it? And that's not all, because all this pretty renovation company does not stop there, far from it.
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©Castle of Vayres ![]()
©Gironde Tourism
In the 1695th century, the castle, bruised by numerous assaults during the Fronde, was seriously damaged. In 1707, J.-J.de Gourgues, bishop of Bazas, had the façade facing the Dordogne modified. A large pavilion, topped with an imperial dome is built as well as a staircase giving access to the garden. In XNUMX, a monumental gate and a stone bridge were erected in front of the main entrance on the village side. Later, much later, a French parterre will be designed between the castle and the Dordogne by the landscape gardener Duprat.
If the facade of the north gallery is quite sober, that located to the east is of great refinement: a rich sculpted decoration in a typically Mannerist spirit from the end of the XNUMXth century develops there. (mannerism is the pride of artifice and refinement in artistic creations). There are high and narrow consoles, linens, pegs, tables in the shape of cartouches, interrupted pediments to let a fleuron spring out, faces engraved, sculpted and above all very expressive...
Inside, we appreciate the Louis XIII and Louis XIV period furniture, as well as a beautiful collection of tapestries from Gobelins, Aubusson, Beauvais...
And then, icing on the castle: facing the Dordogne, a high terrace is raised and dominates the gardens. Not far, the river. Ah, but what a view!
Vayres Castle,
Vayres
Classified and registered Historic Monument
To see and do, near the Château de Vayres
The Libourne Museum of Fine Arts
Located on the banks of the Dordogne river, like the Château de Vayres, which it neighbors, the bastide town of Libourne is
an ancient prosperous city full of rich buildings. The emblem of the central square is undoubtedly
the Town Hall, a beautiful XNUMXth century building which houses the town museum. It was in the XNUMXth century that the
museum is born with its first major works. Today it has the site of the Carmel Chapel
for temporary exhibitions. The Libourne museum, labeled “museum of France”, can pride itself on holding collections ranging from archaeological excavations to the production of works by internationally renowned artists: Jordaens, Toulouse-Lautrec, Rufy, Rodin, Van Dongen , Foujita, Nicolas de Staël…
