Planting of the park 1852 (≈ 1852)
Initial landscaping around the villa.
1872-1878
Construction of the villa
Construction of the villa 1872-1878 (≈ 1875)
Built by the architect Vianne for the Combes family.
1940-1944
Children's home during the war
Children's home during the war 1940-1944 (≈ 1942)
Reception of children under this temporary name.
26 novembre 1990
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 26 novembre 1990 (≈ 1990)
Official protection of the hall and staircase.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Villa des Morelles, including the large vestibule with its staircase (Box YN 13): inscription by decree of 26 November 1990
Key figures
Famille de Combes - Sponsors
Magistrates in Riom, initial owners of the villa.
Vianne - Architect
Designer of the villa between 1872 and 1878.
Origin and history
The Villa des Morelles is a bourgeois residence built between 1872 and 1878 in the department of Allier, in Broût-Vernet. Commanded by the Combes family, judges of Riom, it was designed by architect Vianne near an old castle. Its centered plan, polygonal forerails and horseshoe staircase reflect the architectural style of the time.
During the Second World War, between 1940 and 1944, the villa served as a shelter for children under the name of Maison d'enfants de Broût-Vernet. Its interior, preserved, illustrates the daily life of a bourgeois family in the nineteenth century, with neo-XVIIIe salons, panelling and period decorative elements.
Ranked a historic monument in 1990, the villa includes protected elements such as the large vestibule and its staircase. The park, planted in 1852, and the architectural details (zinc marquise, marble chimneys) testify to its heritage importance in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
The building, with its interior decorations (Lyonnaises, gypseries) and its spatial organization (high ground floor, noble floor), offers an authentic overview of the rural aristocratic habitat of the late 19th century.
