Château de Lazenay

The property presents a square gatehouse with upper floor and turrets built in the late 13th century, alongside a rectangular main building from a later period featuring twin windows and pointed arch doorways. The architecture combines medieval defensive elements with Gothic residential features, typical of fortified noble residences from this era in the Berry region.

Robert de Clamecy acquired the property in 1265, and his son Guiot constructed the gatehouse with attached mill at the end of the 13th century. During the siege of Bourges in 1562, King Charles IX and Catherine de Medici resided here for two weeks before the complex passed into religious ownership in 1574.

Following its donation by Jehan Niquet, abbot of Saint-Gildas, the estate served as summer residence for the Jesuits of Bourges starting in 1574 and remained a religious retreat for over two centuries until the order's dissolution during the French Revolution. Today the structure operates as lodging, allowing guests to experience accommodation within a historic setting.

The property stands near Lac d'Auron on the southeastern edge of Bourges, roughly 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) from the historic center and accessible by car or public transport. Operating as a private hotel with 20 rooms, it offers lodging with modern amenities including complimentary wifi, kitchenette facilities and television, while the historic facade can be viewed from the exterior.

The Clamecy family installed a functioning water mill directly at the gatehouse in the late 13th century, an unusual architectural integration of defensive structure and economic infrastructure documented at only a few medieval noble estates in France. This arrangement allowed residents to mill grain while simultaneously controlling access to the property.