| Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers | |
| Location: | Les Trois-Moutiers |
| Pushpin Map: | France#France Vienne |
| Coordinates: | 47.0923°N 0.0326°W |
| Type: | Château |
| Built: | 13th century |
| Materials: | Stone |
| Demolished: | Abandoned in 1932 |
| Condition: | Ruin |
| Open To Public: | Seasonally |
The Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers is a ruined castle in the commune of Les Trois-Moutiers in the Vienne department of France.
The stronghold dates to the thirteenth century and was originally called Motte Bauçay (or Baussay). The castle is a former stronghold of the Bauçay family, lords of Loudun. The Motte Baussay was taken several times by the English during the Hundred Years' War and devastated during the French Revolution.[1] [2]
It was bought in 1809 by François Hennecart, a wealthy businessman, and then sold to Baron Joseph Lejeune in 1857. However, a fire in 1932 destroyed most of the buildings in the castle, which then became abandoned.[3] [4]
In December 2017, a French startup organized a crowdfunding campaign site, and 27,190 people having to pay at least €50 each joined the cause, raising €1,600,000, to purchase the castle with the aim of preserving it.[5]
The castle was the subject of a project by the French photographer Roman Veillon in his book Green urbex: Le monde sans nous.[6]