[1] The site he chose was the ancient château-fort of Vallery, dating in part to the early thirteenth century; he purchased it 16 April 1548.
Vallery's facades, today of brick with stone quoins and details, were originally covered with red and black marble.
Engravings of Vallery and its parterre gardens at this time appeared in Jacques Androuet du Cerceau's Les plus excellents bastiments de France.
In 1747 the heiress Elisabeth de Condé sold the château; it suffered further demolitions and alterations, and in the twentieth century it lay for some time abandoned.
More recently its Grande Galerie has had its partitions removed and is restored to its original dimensions; the château is currently rented for wedding parties.