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Villeneuve-Lembron castle and the legend of Bigorne and Chicheface

Bigorne and Chicheface | Rijksmuseum / CC0
Castle Legend Villeneuve-Lembron castle

Raised by Rigault d'Aureille, kings Louis XI and Charles VIII's butler in the middle of the 15th century, our proud castle was surrounded by moats and flanked by round towers.

The north-west tower was called Montjoli, and the north-east one Saint-Michel's tower.

Oh, by the way! We find here, in a gallery, amazing frescos... Come on, follow me!

They represent a typical legend from Auvergne and Anjou: the tale of Bigorne and Chicheface.

Bigorne was a big, fat beast who ate men bullied by their wives! Chicheface, the poor one, was scrawny, because she ate only... wise and faithful women!

According to the legend, those women were pretty rare. That's why Chicheface is skinny... Here, they represented lord Rigault as an astrologer, with his two fantastic beasts. Our lord maybe had conjugal problems... and he preferred to laugh at them, who knows?

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!