Château du Rivau

The Château du Rivau is a castle in the village of Lémeré, Touraine, France. In the book of Rabelais' Gargantua, it was given to captain Tolmere as a reward for his victories in the Picrocholean Wars. In 1429, towards the end of the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc and her followers came to fetch horses at Le Rivau. It was renowned for the quality of its equipage and war horses that were raised there. In 1510, François de Beauvau, captain of King Francis I of France, constructed the stables in the outbuildings' courtyard that supplied royal stallions. Those stables became the royal stables of Henry III and housed his stallions. Since 1992, the new owners have undertaken a renovation campaign to prevent the decay of the castle and winery. It has been classified as a monument historique since 1918 by the French Ministry of Culture.