Château de la Mothe

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 first mention of a lord of la Mothe dates back to 1490, with construction of a building in 1491. From the 17th century onwards, the dwelling served only as an occasional residence. In the 1730s, the estate was sold to the hospital nuns of Magnac, then became a public hospital at the Revolution. The preserved buildings are arranged according to a massed plan in a U-shape around a central area. They comprise a dwelling at right angles and outbuildings with a simple ground floor only, one wing of which also forms a return. A pond formerly bordered the estate; today only a pond remains of it. The dwelling is a two-storey building whose re-entrant angle is occupied by a circular tower, at the base of which is found the entrance door. This presents the principal ornament of the façade, namely an imposing lintel carved in an ogee in which has been reserved a shield with effaced arms. The interior volume is served by a spiral staircase located in the tower placed at the articulation of the two wings. The first floor retains fireplaces from the late Gothic period. If the dwelling dates from 1491, the outbuildings are later. Two towers were to flank the south wing, for use as a hay barn. The castle also comprised a farmstead in the forecourt, gardens enclosed by walls or hedges and possibly a chapel.