Château d'Anjony

Tournemire

Standing on its spur above the valley of the Doire, Anjony is the setting for one of the most famous vendettas in the history of Auvergne. In the 15th century, Louis II d'Anjony, a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc, obtained royal permission to raise a fortress at Tournemire — a village whose fief his family, grown rich through trade and the king's service, had shared since 1351 with the Tournemires, an old feudal line. The affront was unbearable to the old lords: building a new keep a few hundred metres from their own towers! For nearly two centuries the two houses tore each other apart in a bloody rivalry of lawsuits, ambushes and duels, until, around 1650, the Tournemires left the place for good, ruined — and until, by an irony of history, the two names ended up united: today it is the Léotoing de Tournemire, descendants of the Anjonys, who live in the château, occupied without interruption by the same family for nearly six centuries. The basalt keep with its four round towers preserves two jewels: the chapel painted in the 16th century with frescoes of scenes from the Passion, and the Salle des Preux (Hall of the Worthies), where the nine heroes of chivalry keep company with the portraits of Michel d'Anjony and Germaine de Foix. Listed as a historic monument, with two stars in the Michelin Green Guide, Anjony is reckoned one of the best-preserved keeps of Haute-Auvergne.

Getting there : Below the village of Tournemire (one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France), on the D160 in the Doire valley; car park at the entrance to the village, château open to visitors from February to November.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound