Château du Rivau

The Château du Rivau is a castle in the village of Lémeré, Touraine, France. In the book of Rabelais' Gargantua, it was given to captain Tolmere as a reward for his victories in the Picrocholean Wars.

In 1429, towards the end of the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc and her followers came to fetch horses at Le Rivau. It was already renowned for the quality of its equipage and war horses that were raised there. In 1510, François de Beauvau, captain of King Francis I of France, constructed the stables in the outbuildings' courtyard that supplied royal stallions. Those stables became the royal stables of Henry III and housed his stallions. An exhibit shows the history of the King's horses and tells the visitor about the mythical horses.