Château de Causans

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

There existed in the 17th century an estate of Coubon whose house had the purpose of supervising the ford of the Loire on the road from Puy to Aubenas. It had been purchased in 1624 by Jean-François le Maistre, ensign in the Champagne regiment and friend of the seigneur de Bouzols. This family probably had the building reconstructed during the 18th century to make it a manor house (date of 1731 on the façade), accompanied by outbuildings and gardens. In 1817, his descendant sold this property to Simon de Parron, receiver general of finances. The latter probably made some arrangements in the château and had the orangery built. Financial difficulties obliged him to resell the estate in 1850. It was purchased by Ernest Richond, notary at Puy, who subsequently bequeathed it to his daughter Pauline on the occasion of her marriage to the comte Vincent de Causans, great-grandfather of the current owner. In 1887, work on enlargement and transformation was undertaken and entrusted to Jean-Bélisaire Moreau, architect based in Moulins (architect and inspector of public works and diocesan buildings), author with his son of numerous constructions or enlargements of public and private buildings. After some demolitions, the old part was raised and enlarged with a return wing on the courtyard. Various transformations and additions (internal corner turret on the courtyard, avant-corps on the rear façade, opening or modification of bays, balconies) gave the building an eclectic neo-medieval/17th-century character in the taste of the period. Important arrangements for comfort and interior décor were also carried out (running hot and cold water, heating, paintings, woodwork, fireplaces). The park was redesigned at the same time by Rouillard, landscape architect at Ecully (69) according to a plan which was not entirely carried out.

Description

Arranged between courtyard and gardens, the château presents an L-shaped plan: main wing, parallel to the road, return wing to the east on the courtyard. It rises over two main levels and an attic storey, pierced with through dormers. The whole is constructed in stone (rubble stone masonry covered with light render, window openings framed in Blavosy sandstone) and embellished with brick details. It is topped with a long roof covered with slates. A circular turret, covered with a conical roof, is positioned on the courtyard side at the junction angle between the two wings. The south façade overlooking the garden is animated by a square tower within the mass rising above the main roof, and by the gable façade of the new wing. Both façades are regularly pierced with large openings with solid shutters. Balconies with balusters are positioned in front of certain French doors on the south façades. Contrasting with the light render, brick elements emphasise the architecture (facing of the square tower, archivolts, bands between levels...). Inside, the majority of the fittings and decorations date from the end of the 19th century and reflect the taste of the period, according to careful execution: waxed wooden wainscoting of full height or dado height, stencilled paintings, fireplaces in wood or marble, herringbone parquet, coffered or joist ceilings, coordinated hangings and furniture (Lyonnaise house). A chapel arranged in 1962 in a corner room with a barrel vault on the ground floor houses an altar/retable in waxed carved wood, signed by Samuel and Gros (1753), coming from the Guitard estate, former Richond property. The outbuildings in L-shape around the courtyard comprise a garage, a stable with stalls, an orangery and, in return, a carriage house and a woodshed. The park of 12 hectares, reduced to 2 hectares, is laid out in the English style with copses, curved paths and several basins.