CASTLES' life

During eight hundred years, from the XIIth to the XIXth century, the Auvergne built, modified and reconstructed their castles. Fortresses perched on rocky hooks, manor houses of Cantalian Mountains or pleasant places of residence nested in the Hedged farmland Bourbonnais, all illustrate the great hours of the Province..

Above all, to defend oneself
In the XIII-th century, Auvergne bristles of fortresses. They are built by dukes of Bourbon, by the accounts of Polignac or Mercœur …
Châteaugay and its amazing square donjon, the castle Dauphin in Pontgibaud, Billy’s fortress, Auzers, all gives evidence of warlike time. Anjony's castle, in Cantal, crossed centuries by deceiving conflicts. It is practically intact and still possesses magnificent frescoes. The oblong donjon of the Fur hat distinguishes itself by its height of 33 m. Construction obeys the rules of Romanic architecture which meets itself only in four other donjons in France. Busséol, in Livradois - Forez, is one of the most ancient castles of the region. Chouvigny, for a long time property of the Fayette family, is a beautiful example of military architecture. The revolutionary marquee was born in Chavaniac-Lafayette's castle, where a scénographic course redraws its life today.

Places of residence of charm
It is necessary to wait for the Renaissance so that castles become places of pleasure and refinement. They know then architectural alterations intended to improve the daily comfort of the residents. The Movement is born in the region of Moulins.the Bourbons give it a tone. They reshape their places of residence and do not hesitate to build others. In the plain of Limagne, Effiat is one of the rare Louis XIII buildings of the region. Its very rich furniture and its formal gardens complete the set. , Vollore, Batisse or Parentignat breaks definitively with the warlike art to become classic castles.a nickname was given to this last one, built in the end of the administration of Louis XIV, " small Auvergne Versailles ". A well deserved reputation because the castle was regularly enriched of collections and objects of art during centuries. In Lapalisse, you will be able to take up with the prestigious history of the counts of Chabannes, one of the oldest nobilities of sword of France. The castle which dominates the city consists of a magnificent main building the Renaissance. It was built by Sir of Palice, marshal of France well known for his truths.

Real stylistic devices!
Other castles, sometimes more modest or built by less prestigious families, conceal nevertheless numerous treasures for whom knows how to be attentive. The colour of stones, the beauty of the site make of them places that one does not forget. The amateurs of the style Louis XV will appreciate for example the castle of Balm or the Thoury's miniature fortress
Finally, it is sometimes thanks to the surprising superimposing of the times that charm operates. Aulteribe, built in the XV-th century, owes its romantic silhouette to a recent reorganization realized in the purest XIX-th style.
Ravel's castle, the former house of the kings of France, is a beautiful example of successive alterations.