Castle of Tours

Medieval castle built by Renaud de Forez, comprising a cylindrical keep, a semi-circular tower, and a rectangular central building. Inside: Gallo-Roman mosaics, a small archaeological museum...

Château des Tours (13th century). Small archaeological museum. Built of Lucenay limestone. The castle comprises a cylindrical keep (1213) to the south, a semi-circular tower to the north (1217-1218) which has retained its 13th-century roof, and a rectangular central building (1218). 15th-century spiral staircase.
The complex assembly of oak timbers, used for the castle's defense, has been preserved. This relic is of exceptional interest, being certainly the oldest in France (dated by dendrochronology).
A late 2nd-century mosaic, classified as a "Historical Monument," discovered in 1843 at the Grange du Bief site, is on display at the Château. This mosaic is incomplete (1/8) (71,10m x 3,20m) and was originally intended to measure 16m x 11m.
Also preserved there is a fragment of a milestone from the reign of Claudius, discovered in a local road. This milestone, dated to 43 AD, confirms that Anse was a fortified stop on the major Roman road leading north from Lyon.

The Arts Civilisations Patrimoine Association offers tours of the Château des Tours on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, from March to mid-November.
It also offers guided tours to discover the Old Cove on the third Saturday of the month, from March to mid-November.