Castle of La Bastie d'Urfé
Saint-Étienne-le-Molard
Visit
Hours to be confirmed
You are leaving for the château’s own website
- Where
- Saint-Étienne-le-Molard
Hours and prices not verified at the source yet.Check on the official website
To make a day of it
Open within 20 km
Château de la Bastie d'Urfé stands in Saint-Étienne-le-Molard (Loire), in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The building is listed as a historic monument (dating recorded in the Mérimée database: 15th century, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century). Its opening hours and prices have not been verified at the source yet.
Set in the Forez plain, this château owes its reputation to Claude d'Urfé, who between 1547 and 1558 turned a medieval fortified house into a residence shaped by his travels in Italy. His grandson Honoré d'Urfé drew on it for the setting of L'Astrée, a landmark of French literature, and the surrounding countryside still echoes scenes from the novel. Visitors can see an artificial grotto decorated with pebbles and shells, a rare surviving Renaissance feature in France, along with a chapel painted by Girolamo Siciolante and gardens that retain a 16th-century watering system.
Written from Château de la Bastie d'Urfé
What to know
- The château has been listed as a historic monument since 1912.
- The visit includes the Renaissance residence, the decorated grotto and the painted chapel.
- The gardens still contain a 16th-century irrigation system.
- The site sits in open countryside along the Lignon river, suited to walking.
Where this château is
Saint-Étienne-le-Molard · Loire · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km
Address
1061 Route de la Bâtie d'Urfé
Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.
The safest check before setting off: today’s hours, guided-tour availability, where to park.
- Period of construction
- 15th century, 16th century, 17th century, 18th century
Base map © IGN, Géoplateforme
In pictures
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Sources
Identity, location and official references from Wikidata and the Mérimée register.
- This entry in Markdown
- Wikidata Q2450180
- Mérimée PJR42000836
- Official website
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