Château de Fléchères, Renaissance castle in Fareins, France
Château de Fléchères is a Renaissance castle with four square towers, a deep moat, and a grand central building with smaller wings built between 1606 and 1625. The structure features stone walls with symmetrically arranged windows and is surrounded by expansive gardens.
The site held strategic importance since ancient times, with a Roman camp established before the fortress was fortified starting in the 12th century. The present architecture was built in the early 17th century and represents a transformation of medieval structures into a residential castle.
Pietro Ricchi decorated the interior with extensive frescoes in 1632, creating the largest collection of early 17th-century Italian paintings in France. The wall paintings tell stories from ancient times and mythology that continue to shape the rooms today.
The site is open to visitors during scheduled hours, and the gardens and interior rooms can be explored during guided tours. Comfortable shoes are recommended since the grounds are extensive and multiple levels of the castle are accessible on foot.
The third floor contains a hidden Protestant temple built following the Edict of Nantes, which allowed nobles to maintain private worship spaces. This concealed room reveals the religious tolerance of the period and remained out of sight for visitors over time.
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