More than 7,400 members of an online community with members from all over the world scraped together 500,000 euros to buy a historic French castle with the aim of restoring and opening it to the public, according to the Guardian.

The thousands of joint owners, each of whom reportedly paid at least 50 euros, are hoping to bring Chateau de la Mothe-Chandeniers, which dates back to 13th century, to its former glory.

Each donor will be able to call themselves a part-owner of the lavish property and will also be given the chance to be among its first visitors when the restoration works are completed.

The platform which was used to raise the funds was named "Dartagnans" and specifically designed for this kind of campaigns, aiming to engage people in collectively financing the protection of France's cultural heritage.

Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers located in the west of the country is a former stronghold of the Bauçay family, the lords of Loudun. The stronghold dates to the 13th century and was originally called Motte Bauçay (or Baussay).

The Motte Baussay was taken twice by the English in the Middle Ages and devastated during the French Revolution. It was bought in 1809 by François Hennecart, a wealthy businessman who undertook to restore it to its former glory. In 1857 it was sold to Baron Joseph Lejeune. In 1932, a major fire destroyed most of the buildings in the castle.