When was this castle built?

First mentioned in the mid-11th century, a castle existed there by the early 12th century. It was rebuilt in the 13th century and restored during the Wars of Religion. A new residence was built at the foot of the motte in the 1770s.

Did George Sand actually visit here?

George Sand set her novel Mauprat at Sainte-Sévère castle, particularly appreciating the English-style park created there around 1850.

Why is the castle now a ruin?

After damage during the Wars of Religion, the site deteriorated over the centuries. The feudal tower partially collapsed around 1855, then again between 1900 and 1910, greatly reducing its structure.

Château de Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre

Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre Castle

Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

château de la Lande (Lande Castle)Accommodation on site14 km

Château de Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre stands in Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre (Indre), in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. The building is registered as a historic monument (dating recorded in the Mérimée database: Middle Ages). No visits are on record for this building.

This Indre castle has occupied a strategic position since the mid-11th century, when it guarded a ford crossing over the Indre river. A feudal motte forms its core: an oval mound 30 to 50 metres at its base and 15 metres high, which once bore a schist tower crowned with machicolations, flanked by a rectangular dwelling. Collapses during the 19th and 20th centuries reduced its remains, but the motte itself survives intact. At its foot stands a more recent 18th-century residence, enlarged in the following century. George Sand set her novel Mauprat here.

What to know

The feudal motte remains the main testimony to the medieval castle, other elements surviving only as fragments of masonry.
An English-style park with a boxwood maze has extended across the motte's slopes since the 19th century.
Visit and access arrangements are not specified: it is advisable to enquire before travelling.

Where this château is

Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre · Indre · Centre-Val de Loire

Map of the area around Château de Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre

Loading the map…

This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre, Indre

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

Get directions View on a map

Heritage status: Registered historic monument (inscrit); Mérimée record PA36000036
Period of construction: Middle Ages

Frequently asked

When was this castle built?: First mentioned in the mid-11th century, a castle existed there by the early 12th century. It was rebuilt in the 13th century and restored during the Wars of Religion. A new residence was built at the foot of the motte in the 1770s.
Did George Sand actually visit here?: George Sand set her novel Mauprat at Sainte-Sévère castle, particularly appreciating the English-style park created there around 1850.
Why is the castle now a ruin?: After damage during the Wars of Religion, the site deteriorated over the centuries. The feudal tower partially collapsed around 1855, then again between 1900 and 1910, greatly reducing its structure.