Château de Boutavent

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

Established at the end of a rocky spur, it dominates the valley of the Grosne and controls its northern access. It was probably built in the first half of the 12th century by the Gros d'Uxelles, lords of Brancion, on the border of their fief. In 1237, Josseran IV of Brancion ceded to the abbey of Cluny the fortress of Boutavent (castrum nostrum de Bonteavant) and its castellany. From the 14th to the 16th century, the castle was taken several times before being definitively disarmed and confirmed in its vocation as an agricultural estate. In the 18th century, important works of improvement in the country were undertaken, notably at the landscape level. In 1867, the entire estate was acquired by the comte d'Audiffred, who modernised it and made it a place of residence.

Description

The castle forms a vast quadrilateral oriented north-south, flanked to the south-east by an imposing round tower. The courtyard is open to the north by a porch and flanked to the north-east by a square tower with a Neo-Gothic chapel on the first floor. To the east, it is closed by a large service building, remodelled in the 18th century, as stables and barns, originally covered in stone slates as its imposing roof structure suggests. To the south and west, the main dwelling overlooks the terraces and the park laid out respectively in the 18th and 19th centuries. To the north, the porch opens onto a path leading to the lower courtyard, enclosed and having a dovecote-gate to the north. Midway, a building called the service buildings was constructed in the 19th century, perhaps after a design by the architect François Marie Dulac.