In the 16th century a medieval lordship, la seigneurie de Massanes was established by Jacques Alleman, seigneur of Mirabel and viguier of Anduze. During the second half of the century the lordship passed to Airebaudouze, then, through marriage, to Guillaume de Causse.
Around 1730, Château de Massanes was bought by Elie Randon de Massanes ( 1701-1771) conseiller secrétaire for king Louis XV, maison couronne of France and its finances and receveur général des finances de Poitou. At that time, an old hermitage had been established at the château which apparently did not have a floor. Thanks to his immense fortune, the new owner and his wife Marie Louise de Pons reconstructed the château during the XVIIIe century to what we see today.
The château consists of several buildings joined together by the south-east facing main entrance facade and the south-west facing renaissance château. The dovecote tower joins these two facades to the south. There is also another tower to the north which is part of the main building body and a separate watch tower.
Several building parts remain intact from medieval times, including the dovecote, another tower, and several vaulted ceiling rooms inside the château. The date of the watch tower is uncertain, but judging by its architectural features the lower part of it is medieval.
The château currently appears as a classic construction from the 18th century, with a strong Italian influence: traces of trompe-l’oeil on the facade, corner chains with shear walls, balustrade running on each side from the porch to the wall of the entrance courtyard.
The main gate, which opens in the middle of the enclosing wall, has a tympanum decorated with a coat of arms representing two sheaves (coat of arms of the village), a navy anchor and a heart. A projecting cornice separates it from a curved pediment with mascaron. At the highest level, a stucco decoration has been added on either side of a triangular pediment.
There are also several terraced gardens, sloping towards the west, and a number of fountains and water features both inside and outside.
