Who built Château de la Morinière ?

Guillaume des Roches, who was simultaneously overseeing construction at Chambord, was the master of works.

What is the significance of the dolphin weathervane ?

The dolphin crowning the belltower was a distinctive heraldic symbol of French Renaissance royal imagery.

Is the dovecote accessible ?

The historic dovecote, with its 1600 nesting spaces, remains visible from outside the main enclosure.

Château de la Morinière

Morinière Castle

Mur-de-Sologne

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Mur-de-Sologne

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

Château de la Morinière stands in Mur-de-Sologne (Loir-et-Cher), in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. The building is registered as a historic monument (dating recorded in the Mérimée database: second quarter of the 16th century). The building is privately owned and no visits are on record.

Built in the second quarter of the 16th century on the site of an earlier feudal stronghold, Château de la Morinière displays the brick and stone architecture typical of Loire Renaissance design. Constructed under the supervision of Guillaume des Roches, who also oversaw work at Chambord, the castle retains its rectangular enclosure surrounded by moats, its pyramid-crowned lantern surmounted by a belltower bearing a dolphin weathervane, and its residential wings flanked by a chapel. The historic dovecote, notable for its structure and access by spiral ladder, stands as a surviving example of domestic organisation on a château of this period.

What to know

The château is organized around a rectangular enclosure with preserved moats, accessed from a forecourt bordered by brick and stone outbuildings.
The main building features Renaissance meneau windows, while a second residential wing displays architectural characteristics of the Louis XII period.
The dovecote retains its original 1600 nesting spaces and remains accessible via its historic spiral ladder system.
The drawbridge and entrance gallery disappeared around 1828; the château and its dependencies have been listed as monuments historiques since 1971.

Where this château is

Mur-de-Sologne · Loir-et-Cher · Centre-Val de Loire

Map of the area around Château de la Morinière

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

222 La Morinière, 41230 Mur-de-Sologne

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

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Heritage status: Registered historic monument (inscrit); Mérimée record PA00098523
Period of construction: second quarter of the 16th century

Itineraries

Frequently asked

Who built Château de la Morinière ?: Guillaume des Roches, who was simultaneously overseeing construction at Chambord, was the master of works.
What period does the château date from ?: The château was built in the second quarter of the 16th century on the site of an earlier feudal fortress.
What is the significance of the dolphin weathervane ?: The dolphin crowning the belltower was a distinctive heraldic symbol of French Renaissance royal imagery.
Is the dovecote accessible ?: The historic dovecote, with its 1600 nesting spaces, remains visible from outside the main enclosure.