The first documents tell of an abbey had occupying the site of the castle in the 11th century. The castle first gets mentioned in the 13th century. Originally the castle had three wings, 4 towers and a double wall surrounding it. Renovations in the 16th century transformed the wing above the river Loire into a "grand corps de logis" ("grand" living quarters) which overlooked a newly constructed bridge over the river. The bridge disappeared in a flood in the same century and most parts of the castle did not fare much better. The wing with the "grand corps de logis" is the only one which survived until today.
