A medieval French castle dripping with history — and possibly Napoleon’s hidden gold — is for sale, asking $3.8 million.
The Chateau de Saint-Chartier, a 1,500-year-old fortress in Saint-Chartier packed with secrets, is a gem for treasure hunters and history buffs.
This isn’t just a house — it’s a 15,607-square-foot time machine.
The five-story chateau houses 34 rooms, including nine bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a wild Mexican-style tavern.
Add in grand ballrooms, secret passages, dungeons and a watch tower, and you’ve got a medieval masterpiece. On the third-floor is a gaming den and private cinema for when you’re not chasing Napoleon’s ghost.
Features include marble bathrooms, parquet floors, several fireplaces and stone staircases. A 15th-century outbuilding seals the deal as a bonus history nugget.
Spanish historian Ivo Fornesa claims in his book, “Death in Saint-Chartier: Murder and intrigue in the heart of France,” that Napoleon crashed here post-Waterloo and stashed a fortune somewhere on the property. Locals swear it’s true.
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This chateau’s guest list is a who’s-who of history. Once owned by a cousin of Richard the Lionheart and a Napoleon insider, it also hosted Joan of Arc (allegedly) and inspired literary heavyweights like Honoré de Balzac and George Sand, who set her novel “Les Maîtres Sonneurs” here.
From wars to rebuilds, this castle’s taken a beating and comes out shining. A 19th-century glow-up and a decade of TLC since 2010 have it primed for its next owner.