Ruines de l'ancien château des Comtes de Nevers

The castle of Decize was built in the 12th and 13th centuries for the counts of Nevers. It was primarily a citadel, which protected the passage over the Loire.
Modified and enlarged several times, in particular by Marie d'Albret in the 16th century (she added a renaissance wing), the castle of Decize was home to Louis XIII and Louis XIV and was owned by Mazarin in 1659.
Then began the decline of the castle. Irregularly occupied, then abandoned, it fell into ruin when the last Duke of Nivernais sold it to the notary Pierre Douette (1778), who sold some of the castle's stones.
Its successive owners were the Mouzat family, the Marquis de Raigecourt who set up a boarding school for young girls which he entrusted to the sisters of La Charité de Nevers (a statue of the Virgin Mary was installed at the top of one of the towers), the municipality, and the Count of Dreux-Brézé who gave the buildings to the public school Sainte-Marie.

The ruins of the castle and the underground galleries can only be visited during guided tours in July and August for individuals and all year round for groups.
The panorama from the top of the tower where the statue of the Virgin Mary is located offers an absolutely incredible view of the town and the surrounding area!