The medieval castle of Ambérieux en Dombes

In the Middle Ages, Ambérieux was part of the Dombes region and the seat of a castellany owned by the lord of Villars. The important castle built by Humbert de Thoire-Villars, an ally of the Dauphins of Viennois, was the object of covetousness and suffered numerous assaults.

The original plan formed a rectangular trapezoid flanked by four towers, three of which were square and the fourth round. Three of these towers remain; the tallest and most massive is thought to be the keep (19 meters). The thinness of the walls, the size of the openings and the presence of chimneys give it a residential rather than defensive character. This quest for comfort is characteristic of the region's keeps from the late 14th century onwards. In the 19th century, the parish church was built inside the completely destroyed enclosure.
Listed as a historic monument since 1905, the château was restored in 1999. In 2010, it received a new four-sloped roof, herringbone trussed as in the Middle Ages, and covered with glazed tiles.

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