Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Périgères, located in Mons in Puy-de-Dôme, finds its origins in a mention of the fief of Limons from 1276, including then Périgères. In the 16th century, the site housed a strong house surrounded by the remains of a feudal castle, with an upper room, a lower room connected by a stair tower, and outbuildings. A tower was certified in 1486. The seigneury of Périgère, first cited in 1382, passed into the hands of the family of Lorme de Pagnat from 1592 to 1760, during which period the fief extended by absorbing the lands of Limons and Mons.

Between 1582 and 1660, the castle was enlarged with two buildings, round and square towers, and a chapel. The doorway, dated 1686 and covered with an imperial roof, marks a major work campaign in the seventeenth century. A fire ravaged the north between 1740 and 1779, while the south wing, remodelled in the 18th century, retained elements of the 17th century. The outbuildings, partially destroyed after 1835, included a dovecote-pig made of wood, typical of the rural architecture of the period.

The present building, classified as a Historical Monument in 1997, combines 17th and 18th century structures, with interior decorations mostly redone in the 19th century. Ceilings with caissons or soles, as well as vaulted cellars served by a cradle corridor, testify to the constructive techniques of the era. Materials, such as the coated pea and the pebble device on the posterior façade, reflect local resources. The roofs, covered with slate and mechanical tiles, complement this architectural ensemble representative of the evolution of a rural seigneury in Auvergne.

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