Photos: four historic French châteaux on sale for under €1 million

France is often nicknamed le Pays des Châteaux (the Country of Castles), with roughly 45,000 dotted across its various regions, according to the French national tourism agency.

While Chambord and Versailles may spring to mind, it is important to note that the French word château has a broader definition than the English ‘castle’, with manors, fortresses, palaces, and mansions also included under the umbrella. 

Several of these grand properties have been left to crumble, with resale and renovation efforts hoping to keep their history alive for many more years to come.

We take a look at four French châteaux on sale for under €1 million via Denniel Immobilier.*

Fortress of Veauce (Allier)

Price: €800,000 

Size: 3,000 m2, 20 Bedrooms - Ref: 238

This historic property was originally the 9th-Century fortress home of Louis the Pious.

The château has four wings, which are surrounded by a fortified wall and towers dating from the 13th to 15th Centuries. One tower was turned into a clock tower in the 19th Century, and the basement still contains the former medieval kitchens and a series of cellars.

The château sits in a 8.3-hectare park with the Veauce river running through the middle of the estate. A number of buildings, including a mill and a metal greenhouse, have been abandoned.

A lot of work is required to renovate this property. The roofs of the château's outbuildings have partly collapsed and the roofs of the residential wings need to be completely overhauled.

Belle Étoile Manor (Orne)

Price: €500,000 

Size: 1,400 m2 - Ref. 223

This property includes the ruins of an abbey (listed as a monument historique), a wing of the connected 15th-Century cloister (cloître), and an 18th-Century hotel resembling a manor house. 

The Gothic abbey is estimated to have been constructed at the beginning of the 13th Century, shortly after the conquest of Normandy by Philippe-Auguste.

Traditional features can be found throughout the property, including a neo-Gothic fireplace, ceiling beams and joists, stone pillars and a herringbone floor.

The grounds are located in a valley, beside a stream, with the gardens home to a century-old oak tree.

Chateau Vitry-le-François (Marne)

Price: €857,600 

Size: 1,000 m2, 15 Bedrooms - Ref. 319

The château is thought to have been completed in 1741. It was severely damaged during World War One then completely restored around 1925.

Features of the château include a grand staircase, a library, marble fireplaces, a large kitchen with a terracotta tiled floor, a dining room with wood-panelled cupboards and 17th-18th-Century painted canvases set into the woodwork.

Outbuildings include a guardhouse, three large car garages, stables, and a greenhouse-orangery opening onto the walled vegetable garden.

A 20th-century brick mill can also be found on-site, however it requires interior restoration and the roof needs to be redone. 

Chateau Chaumont (Haute-Marne)

Price: €986,000 

Size: 600 m2, 6 Bedrooms - Ref: 304

This elegant 18th-Century limestone château is located on an island in the middle of the Marne River and is attributed to the architect and sculptor Jean-Baptiste Bouchardon.

The property was restored in 1960 and features a large living room with a large 18th-Century marble fireplace and French windows that look out over the garden.

The garden contains an orchard, a vegetable garden, an open-air theatre, a boat house and 100 varieties of rose. 

A detached house at the entrance to the property is also rented as a gîte, generating approximately €4,000 per year. 

Read also: Find a rural home in France for under €100,000 without renovation hassle 

*All photo credits: Denniel Immobilier - Antiquaires en Immeubles. Click arrows to swipe through slideshow.