The chateau was built on the site of the seigneurial estate of Martres-de-Rivière by the viscount of Sainte-Gème in 1867. Designed by the architect Alfonse Azibert, the chateau is glimpsed through a heavy wrought-iron gate set well in front of the building, and which opens onto a circular driveway that leads up to the building. It is bordered by the parkland on either side, which is adorned with a number of different tree species. The grounds are enclosed by walls and contain a private chapel to the right of the gate which was built in 1840 and dedicated to Notre-Dame (Our Lady). The chateau is made up of a central body with seven bays and three storeys under the eaves, flanked at each corner by a hexagonal watch turret on the main facade, built in red brick like the stringcourse separating the two main storeys. The south-facing facade, most of which is rendered ashlar, is perfectly symmetrical. The centre is enhanced by a massive, panelled, wooden entrance door, which is painted dark green and studded and which has a small flight of steps with a carved openwork stone balustrade. Topped by a fan-shaped glass transom and framed by two small single-leaf windows, the door is also further enhanced by an elaborately carved blond stone coping, representing the coat of arms of the Viscount of Sainte-Gème with crown, lions and scrolls. The straight, regular windows are framed in ashlar. The mullioned dormers are surmounted by pediments, broken or without a base, with rich sculpted decorations, in relief or recessed, of scrolls, pinnacles, flowers and other ornaments with plant motifs, as well as a head and crown above the central window. Completely renovated, the central building has a four-sided slate roof topped with a frieze and two zinc finials. The turrets are topped with pepper pot roofs. The perfect symmetry of the north facade is enhanced by a three-storey, hexagonal-roofed tower in the centre, built of brick and ashlar. It has six rectangular windows on each floor (not including those in the tower) and is topped by the same number of mullioned and pedimented dormers, identical to those on the south facade.

The chateau

The ground floor
In the entrance hall, the floor is covered with marble and schist cabochon tiles, the ceiling is painted with flowers and bordered by a cornice with modillions, and the walls are covered with high panelling decorated with floral paintings in oval medallions. On the left, through a Napoleon III arched door topped by a broken pediment with flowers, is the state drawing room, with three large windows, herringbone parquet flooring, a sculpted and moulded white marble fireplace topped by a gilded overmantel, and a stuccoed and painted ceiling bordered by a cornice with gilding, floral sculptures and brackets. All of the ornamentation honours the French monarchy: fleurs-de-lys, acanthus leaves, coats of arms of the builders, large coats of arms of France under a royal crown framed by portraits of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in medallions, on the overmantel. To the right of the hall, a more sober dining room features various decorative elements such as a herringbone oak parquet floor, a moulded ceiling with polychrome Napoleon III stucco work, a marble fireplace carved with lion paws, and wooden wall baseboards typical of the second half of the 19th century. Two other doors in the hall lead to a reading room on one side with the same parquet flooring, adorned with patterned wallpaper, ceiling mouldings and a white marble fireplace, as well as an adjoining study; and, on the other side, to a bedroom with parquet flooring, a wooden fireplace, wall bases and ceiling mouldings, accompanied by a bathroom with a toilet. In the dining room, a door opens onto a corridor leading to a kitchen with a terracotta tiled floor, quality fittings and oak cupboards, a large stone, brick and wood fireplace, a separate entrance and an adjoining storeroom.
The first floor
The first floor is reached via an elegant staircase with stone and oak steps, a wrought-iron balustrade and a wooden handrail. The vast 40 m² entrance hall, with wainscoting, 19th century oak parquet flooring and polychrome mouldings and stained glass windows, leads to five bedrooms, four of which have en suite bathrooms. Oak parquet flooring, marble fireplaces and high ceilings adorned with moulded cornices are standard in all of the bedrooms.
The second floor
A landing at the top of the stairs leads to five bedrooms, a billiard room and a library, plus a bedroom at the top of the tower. The decoration is more sober and, although perfectly comfortable, the rooms on this floor lack the pomp and circumstance of those on the first floor. Two of them have en suite bathrooms.
The attic
With a surface area of approx. 230 m², the space under the roof could be entirely converted, given the beauty and shape of its well-preserved roof framework, as well as its great height.