Château de Saveille

The Château de Saveille, at Paizay-Naudouin in the Charente, was built in the 15th and early 16th centuries, combining the appearance of a fortified castle with Renaissance decoration. Built on an L-shaped plan, it is flanked by towers pierced with arrow slits. Fixed bridges, replacing the old drawbridges, link it to the outside, and the entrance is through a porch between two towers opening onto the main courtyard.

The courtyard is closed to the west by a wall with an original gateway and a 19th-century one. In the 19th century the north entrance tower was cut down, and the south tower of the wall was enclosed in a shed. The chapel also dates from the 19th century and reuses Renaissance bas-reliefs in its south wall. To the north the courtyard is closed by the château, walls and a defensive tower; the outbuildings to the south were used during the Wars of Religion to store supplies for the Huguenot army.

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