Gardens and Promenades

Chateau de Cormatin is one the most beautiful châteaux of the Saône and Loire. Built in 1605 for the Marquis of Huxelles on the foundations and moat of a medieval fortress, it's demure exterior hides an amazing interior of polychrome decoration. The castle's paintings, woodwork and sculptures attest to the wealth of the lords of the place and it's Louis XII

and XIII apartments are exceptional, of the finest

in France, and chronicle the arts of the times.

Chateau de Cormatin

The Flemish and Italian styles reflected here were influenced by painters and architects from Florence and Mantoue and by gardeners from Naples. For those inspired by interiors and decorative arts, the paint effects, ornamentation and remarkable richness of furniture and decoration will be of great interest. The needlepoint chair coverings were all done by the ladies of the house and the castle houses several classified objects; a remarkable portal, a bed with canopy, tapestries, and wall paintings of the vaults of the chapel.

The park, with its Renaissance garden, impressive potager and grazing horses, is an invitation to stroll and imagine. From the aviary, you can admire the flowerbeds, the labyrinth and the paths representing the symbolic parables, very fashionable in the seventeenth century.

Middle Age Bridge near Le musee Courbet