Château de La Vauguyon

La Vauguyon, also known as "Hôtel d'Orville" or "La Gaignerie," is a small castle dating from the mid-13th century, remodeled in the 15th. Frescoes depicting tournament scenes adorn its walls; some of the knights shown in these frescoes bear the arms of the Plantagenets. Mentioned by Rabelais in his "Picrocholine War," the castle successively belonged to various figures, including Jean Sénéchal, valet de chambre to Cardinal Richelieu, known as the Lord of La Vauguyon in 1639, and Pierre Roque de Varengeville, advisor to the King. René Champigny Clement, deputy to the National Convention and Mayor of Chinon, became its owner during the French Revolution. Having voted for the execution of King Louis XVI, he was forced into exile during the Restoration and had to abandon La Vauguyon.