Valois Castle

The center of the famous city of Cognac is decorated with the ancient castle of Valois. Here was born the great French King Francis I. During the XII century, the castle was destroyed, and reconstructed only in the XV century.

The complex consists of the Church of St. Leger and monastery buildings built in 1031. The castle is made of stone and has an impressive front door with docks. The facade of the building is crowned by a large window, better known as the “King’s Balcony”, which is decorated with carved medallions (in particular the profile of Francis I). The castle and all its buildings date back to the Middle Ages. The peculiarity of the castle is the thickness of its walls (about 3 meters) and the location of some rooms below the water level, which were previously used as prison cells.

The Saint-Jean Tower has two rooms and numerous windows. A rare system of medieval ovens is preserved here. Inside the castle, there is an amazing “Helmet Hall” and a banquet hall built according to the plans of Leonardo da Vinci.

“Governor’s House” is called a tower with a spiral staircase and a beautiful Gothic door. Today in the ancient castle of Valois is the world-famous Cognac House of Othard.