Château de Tanlay
A moated Renaissance château of the Coligny family, with a trompe-l'œil gallery and a long canal.
- Renaissance château
- 1 h 36 from Beaune
- Open to visitors
- 16th to 17th centuries
€355one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Commune
- Tanlay · Yonne
- Style
- Renaissance and early Classical
- Heritage
- Listed historic monument
- Official website
- chateaudetanlay.fr
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 36 by road (140 km), €355 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
Tanlay stands in a village near Tonnerre, about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours from Beaune. Surrounded by wide moats and approached through a small gatehouse château, it is one of the finest Renaissance châteaux in Burgundy. It is known for its trompe-l'œil gallery, the painted Tour de la Ligue and a long canal in the park.
History
Work on the present château began in the first half of the 16th century under Louise de Montmorency. Her son François de Coligny d'Andelot, brother of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, took up the project in the 1550s, in the troubled years leading to the Wars of Religion. The gatehouse, the Petit Château, was begun in 1558. D'Andelot died in 1569 with the work unfinished. His son-in-law Jacques Chabot built the Tour de la Ligue and the Tour Coligny and completed the Petit Château in 1610.
In the 1640s the estate belonged to Michel Particelli d'Émery, superintendent of finances under Cardinal Mazarin. He had the architect Pierre Le Muet finish the château on a symmetrical U-shaped plan and build the outbuildings. Around 1700 Tanlay passed to the Thévenin family, created marquis de Tanlay in 1705, and their descendants still own it. The whole estate was classified as a historic monument in 1994.
Architecture
Visitors enter through the Petit Château, a gatehouse with a mansard roof, then cross the moats to the Grand Château, built on a U-shaped plan with round towers under domed roofs. Inside, a 21-metre gallery is painted in trompe-l'œil. The top of the Tour de la Ligue is painted with figures of the French court shown as Olympian gods. In the park, a canal about 530 metres long and a nymphaeum, or water theatre, complete the setting.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The château is shown by guided tour only, with printed guides in several languages including English. The park and canal can be enjoyed before or after. The château opens from April to November and is closed on Tuesdays. Allow about 1.5 hours. Tanlay pairs well with Ancy-le-Franc and the Hôtel-Dieu at Tonnerre. Check the official website for opening times.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Tanlay on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Château de Tanlay is about 1 h 36 from Beaune by road (140 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €355 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? In the upper room of the Tour de la Ligue, figures of the French court at the time of the Wars of Religion are painted as the gods of Olympus.
Sources
Château de Tanlay with a private driver
€355 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests