Château_d'Ainay-le-Vieil
Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil
Medieval cobblestone castle in France
Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil is a 14th-century castle built on the grounds of an earlier 12th century castle in Ainay-le-Vieil, Cher, France. After having bought the castle from Jacques Cœur, Charles de Bigny built a pre-Renaissance Louis XII style chateaux from 1500 to 1505.[1] The castle has been listed as a Monument historique since 1968 by the French Ministry of Culture.[2] The castle, now part of Jacques Cœur's tourist route, has been nicknamed "the little Carcassonne" (French: le petit Carcassonne) because of its circular shape.[3] Today the castle is one of the best preserved fortresses of the 14th century.[2]