Photo : Xabi Rome-Hérault / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Château de Crazannes
The Château de Crazannes, in the Charente-Maritime, is a magnificent château listed as a historic monument, built at the end of the 14th century on the site of an 11th-century fortress, of which a chapel, a keep and the moats survive. A stop on the way to Santiago de Compostela, it was remodelled in the 16th to 18th centuries. The Black Prince stayed here in 1362 and Francis I in 1519.
It is nicknamed the 'Château du Chat Botté' (Puss in Boots) after one of its owners, the Marquis de Carabas. The Flamboyant Gothic north façade has an extraordinary fantastical décor: a host of graceful or grotesque figures, animals and symbols illustrate medieval customs and legends. Superbly restored, the château has a remarkable set of fireplaces and a richly carved ceiling.
