Why was this 'secret' French château left abandoned?

Discover the secrets of this abandoned aristocratic estate

Dating back to the 15th century, this heart-stoppingly gorgeous "secret" château in France's Burgundy region became a favourite among urban explorers after it was forsaken by its owners in 2017.

The property is now out of bounds to intrepid explorers, but renowned photographer Bryan Sansivero was able to capture it in all its faded grandeur when he ventured inside in 2022.

Click or scroll through for a look around the château, find out why this beguiling piece of history was left to rot and discover what's being done to save it...

Secret château

Known as the "secret château" among the urbex community, its location was kept largely under wraps for a time. Luckily for us, Bryan Sansivero, author of American Decay, managed to locate and photograph Château de la Chasseigne. It's tucked away in a grove of oak trees outside the village of Saint-Parize-le-Châtel in Burgundy's Nièvre department. 

Approaching the storybook château, you may notice that the two round towers and connecting arched gallery to the left seem older than the rest of the property. Built way back in the 15th century by the namesake first owner, nobleman Robert de la Chasseigne, they are all that remains of the original château.

Aristocratic owners

In 1789, the property is said to have passed to the de Montrichards, one of France's oldest surviving blue-blooded families, after a descendant of Robert de la Chasseigne married Count Gabriel-Étienne de Montrichard, reportedly a senior general in King Louis XVI's army.

19th-century expansion

Despite the beginning of the French Revolution, the count managed to escape the guillotine and was allowed to hold on to his land. However, sadly he died in 1799 aged just 44. His firstborn, Louis-Henri, inherited the château, which later passed to his eldest son, Armand.

In 1868, Count Armand de Montrichard is said to have sold off two other estates the family owned and pumped the proceeds into massively extending the Château de la Chasseigne in a regal neo-Renaissance style.

Now, let's step inside...

Entrance hall

The imposing entrance hall is clad in solid stone and boasts a stunning mosaic floor, not to mention a majestic staircase in solid oak. Bar the graffiti and torn wallpaper, the space is remarkably well-preserved.

In fact, much of the property is in decent condition, though the roof and piping require a major overhaul, the Burgundy stone masonry needs repointing and there is dry rot in places.

Grand salon

Stepping into the grand salon, which is just to the right of the entrance hall, you can't fail to be impressed by the ornate neo-classical wall panelling and pilasters, which give the room a palatial vibe.

According to the French website Souterrain-Lyon, much of the furniture in the property was sourced on the cheap relatively recently from the Emmaüs charity store chain.

Pricey piano

While the lack of genuine heirlooms within the property is disappointing, there are some surprising treasures scattered throughout the grand salon and other rooms in the château.

They include this grand piano by illustrious Parisian maker Maison Pleyel, which was the favourite of great composers, including Chopin, Debussy and Stravinsky.

Regal dining room

To the left of the entrance hall is the château's dining room. Silk coverings decorated with gold fleur-de-lis, the emblem of French royalty, adorn the wood-panelled walls, which are complemented by fine cabinetry and other handsome pieces of furniture.

After Count Armand de Montrichard's death in 1875, the property remained in the family for a further four generations.

Elegant space

The last member of the clan to own the stunning château was purportedly Count Philippe de Montrichard, who would no doubt have enjoyed many a gourmet meal in the elegant dining room.

Presumably unable to keep up with the maintenance, he reportedly sold the property in 2003 to a local architect, who embarked on a restoration project and filled the rooms with secondhand furniture.

Family chapel

At the rear of the entrance hall is a door that leads into the glorious family chapel, complete with stunning stained glass windows. Bathing the sanctuary in a wonderful multicoloured glow, it's really something special.

The devoutly Catholic Montrichards have counted canons, abbots, abbesses and an archbishop among the family, so it stands to reason the chapel is one of the château's best-appointed spaces.

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Time-warp kitchen

The next room you come to is the kitchen. Like walking into a time warp, the room seems as if it hasn't been updated since the 19th century.

Ancient copper and cast iron pots and pans hang from the walls, the work tables look at least a hundred years old and the oven is a veritable antique. You can just imagine the servants scurrying around.

Now, let's head upstairs...

Robust staircase

Creaky floorboards aside, the oak staircase has held up very well over the years, a testament to its quality and robust construction.

Getting back to the château's backstory, rumour has it that the architect who bought it in 2003 ended up selling the property in 2017 for a mere Euro to two Indonesian real estate investors –probably on the proviso they would complete the restoration.

First-floor landing

The foreign investors are said to have visited the property only once to sign the relevant sales documents. According to locals, they haven't been heard from since. In the meantime, the taxes and other levies they owe on the property have allegedly gone unpaid.

Moving up the staircase, you come to the main first-floor landing.

Upright piano

This space is graced by an upright piano. While not as fancy as the Pleyel in the grand salon, it's likely to be worth a pretty penny nonetheless.

After the Indonesian investors effectively abandoned the château in 2017, word quickly got out it was lying vacant and urban explorers and vandals – well, those who could locate it at least – descended.

Grand master bedroom

In 2020, the property caught the attention of four enterprising young people with a passion for preservation, who formed the Association Friends of La Chasseigne to save it.

Here's hoping they'll focus their attention on the master bedroom, which is plagued with mould and needs some serious rehabilitation. Note the marble fireplace and other exquisite original features. It would certainly be sad to see them deteriorate further.

Renovation plans

In 2021, the group launched a campaign urging the authorities to seize the property and even came up with a plan to turn it into a housing co-op and restaurant. However, as of 2024, the petition had only garnered just over half of the 1,000 signatures needed.

The project, which would see the master bedroom and other rooms restored to their former glory, would be crowdfunded and undertaken with the benefit of the wider community in mind.

Pope picture

There are plenty of objects in the room to pique a visitor's interest, including this photograph of Pope Pius IX, which hangs above the bed.

Incidentally, since the property came on the radar of the world's urban explorers, some outlandish claims have been made about its past. For instance, one Tiktoker even told the New York Post the château was once home to a Norwegian victim of the Titanic disaster.

Turret bedroom

Moving on, you come to one of the château's kooky round turret rooms, which are straight out of a fairytale.

This one is furnished with a sleigh bed and chintzy chair, and has some very fetching wallpaper that looks like retro lino. Again, apart from some relatively minor cosmetic issues, the room is in surprisingly good condition.

Quaint sitting room

Next, we come to what looks like the study or a sitting room, but it most probably served as a bedroom for much of its existence.

Like the master, it features a marble fireplace and other fine decorative touches and is in an even better state of repair than the aforementioned room, making it a cinch to fully restore.

Smaller bedroom

Up next is this smaller bedroom. The fireplace in this room has been painted pink to match the décor. Looking around, there's an issue with dry rot and given the debris scattered on the bed, it looks like the plaster on the ceiling is falling away.

This remarkable mansion has gone unloved for some time.

Servant's staircase

In addition to the main oak staircase, there are several others in the château, including this one, which would likely have been used by the servants.

While less elaborate than the principal staircase, it's reasonably posh all the same, with those wrought-iron posts and a dusty wooden bannister that curves at the bottom.

Château library

The next room you encounter is the library. Puzzlingly, there are three antique sewing machines among the bookshelves and a myriad of old tomes.

The mirror above the fireplace has fallen back, revealing what looks like a secret space that may have been used to hide valuables way back when.

Couturier's workspace

A dressmaking mannequin stands against one of the bookshelves. The library appears to have been used as a space to make clothing, in addition to storing books and reading them.

While it needs replastering and the walls require attention, restoring this space should be relatively straightforward.

Turret library

The same can't be said for the turret library, which is accessed from the main library via a spiral staircase. It's in a really bad way, with a gaping hole in the ceiling and other grave issues that will need to be addressed, pronto.

Unfortunately, those old books look beyond the point of saving.

Mysterious music room

Your next port of call appears to be a music room, but the actual purpose of this space is a mystery waiting to be uncovered.

The antique organ embedded in the fireplace is a bizarre touch. Since the room is right up at the top of the château, perhaps it was used by the servants as a place to have a sing-song after a long day at work.

Faded reception room

The rooms are seemingly never-ending in this sprawling abandoned castle. This additional reception room contains a chaise longue and some other comfy pieces of furniture, but is altogether less grand than the rooms on the lower floors, which implies it may have been used exclusively by the servants or have served as the nursery.

Child's bedroom

The rooms just keep on coming. Also located on the upper floor, this one may have been used as a child's bedroom, judging by the compact sleigh bed in the corner.

Debris litters the floor and the wallpaper is coming away. And although the floorboards look intact, they could do with a serious sand and polish.

Neglected loft room

The accommodation seems to get more decrepit the further up the building you go, perhaps indicating vulnerabilities in the roof that may need addressing.

Tucked away in the eaves, this loft space is in a poor state of repair with its peeling wallpaper, debris-strewn floorboards and what appears to be a discarded headboard.  

A fairytale rescue?

While it may look like the romantic setting from a Brothers Grimm book, this is one castle that's in need of fairytale rescue. Although less active online in recent years, here's hoping that the group working to save the château can do just that and preserve it for the future.

With its alluring architecture and fascinating history spanning almost six centuries, the property is just too precious to be left to wrack and ruin.

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