Reopening of the Château de Sully

The Château de Sully

The Château de Sully-sur-Loire is a real medieval fortress with its high towers and its moats that are still filled. It was built at the end of the 14 ^th century on a site that commanded one of the few crossing-points on the Loire.  
For four centuries it remained in the family of the descendants of Maximilien de Béthune (1559-1641), the first Duke of Sully. It was listed as a national monument in 1928 and opened to visitors for the first time in 1933. It has been owned by the Departmental Council of Loiret since 1962.

Renovations

The major development work has been carried out over the last two years by between fifteen and forty specialised craftsmen under the guidance of the Historical Monuments Department’s Chief Architect and has meant an investment of 3.2 million euros. It has mainly involved the facades of the keep, the towers, the main courtyards, moats and the woodwork together with the acquisition of furnishings, pictures and tapestries. The forecourt has also been partly renovated: the walkways have been levelled; some of the masonry, paved gutters and lawns have been refurbished to restore the appearance of a French garden.

New Developments

Three of the four rooms newly opened to the public are to be found in the Louis XV wing and are known as “The Apartments of Psyche”. They house the famous tapestries of the same name. The Antechamber, Bedchamber and the Dressing-Room, together with the Steward’s Office, provide an excellent illustration of the atmosphere and way of life of the Dukes of Sully in the 18th century.  

All details of the exhibition « Sully, a Duke in his Château » and events at the Château associated with the exhibition will shortly be available at saison-ligerienne.fr, the listings of events in the Val de Loire.