Château de la Bâtisse

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The fief of the Bâtisse is recorded for the first time in the 12th century. A castle must have existed from that period. In its present state, the castle would derive from a manor built in the 16th century on the site of the primitive building. The building was organised according to an L-plan, on an interior courtyard with a first-floor gallery installed in the 17th or 18th century. Three round towers flank the east and south façades. The castle is surrounded by numerous outbuildings, and constitutes an enclosed precinct whose main access is by means of a pigeon house transformed into a porch. The pigeon house tower was certainly built during the first building campaign of the castle (16th century). The timber and pisé pigeon house-porch presents itself in a form typical of the Limagne. Square, it rests on four posts reinforced with corner braces which support the floor. Each of the solid faces is in timber framing, divided into four bays of small posts braced at mid-height by a row of ties. The two-storey compartments thus defined are filled with Saint-Andrew's cross bracing with brick nogging. The pigeon house tower presents a lower room ornamented with drawings and graffiti which may date back to the 16th century.