Maison de Villemonteix

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 main dwelling appears, from the openings and dormers, to have been built in the 17th century. At the end of the 18th century, the estate, main house and attached farm, belonged to Gilbert Bidon, lord of Villemonteix, counsellor at the presidial of Riom. He did not live on the premises and the estate, then in very poor condition, was in tenancy. At the death of Gilbert Bidon, in 1795, the estate passed, among other properties, to Pierre-Amable Bidon, his eldest son. As the latter had had to emigrate in 1791, he could not enjoy his inheritance until 1801, the date of his amnesty. He probably undertook to restore and embellish the Saint-Denis estate from that time. Pierre-Amable Bidon de Villemonteix (born in 1760), knight of Saint-Louis, was a poet and publicist. He published Hymne à la mission de Riom (1818) and La princesse Faridondon ou la cour du roi Péteau (1820). Between 1801 and 1839, the date of his death, it appears that he lived much more at Riom than at Saint-Denis; nevertheless he took a close interest in the parish, for example by covering the expenses of the church and by giving, in 1837, land for the construction of the new cemetery. The estate was managed throughout this period by his servant Michel Biesse (to whom a parish document attributes the title of surveyor). The campaign of work in the early 19th century comprised notably decorations of the house (stuccos, wallpapers, furniture...), probably certain fittings (modifications of openings) and the embellishment of the gardens. Pierre-Amable Bidon, deploring the vanity of these things, requested that the basins be filled in and the pavilion destroyed, which was done. He died at Riom, at the age of 79 years (on 22 December 1839). He bequeathed the agricultural part of the buildings and the end of one wing of the main house as well as numerous lands to Michel Biesse, while the house itself with its furniture passed to his niece, Zoé de l'Hospital. She quickly resold her share (1847) to a local peasant family whose last descendant lived there until recent years. The estate was thus divided into two parts (a partition which subsists today). The Fervels, who therefore had no agricultural premises, had a barn built for themselves in 1860. Since that time, the main dwelling has undergone very few modifications.