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Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Pin, built in the 12th century by the Chanaleilles family in Fabras (Ardèche), was profoundly transformed in the 16th century to combine military and agricultural functions. Typical of the strong cevenole houses, it was equipped with towers of defense and cultures, while preserving medieval elements such as a guard tower and vaulted rooms. Its architecture reflects the Wars of Religion, with four towers flanking a three-level building body, completed by a pigeon and stables.

The Chanaleilles, founders of the castle, lived there until the 18th century before yielding it to the Gardon de Boulogne, then to Abbé Labro, priest of Fabras. The latter, who became consul during the Revolution, was murdered in 1802, resulting in the division of the estate. Reunited in the 20th century by the Boissin family, the castle became a farm before being bought in 1957 by painter Colette Bonzo and her husband, Elie Bontzolakis, who made it a place dedicated to contemporary art.

Since 1994, the Château du Pin has been open to the public as a museum and creative centre, exhibiting in particular the works of Colette Bonzo and welcoming residences of artists. Her gardens, rehabilitated from 2001 by sculptor Martine Diersé, combine contemporary art (ceramic sculptures, installations) and botanical collections (old rosiers, camellias). Classified as "Remarkable Garden", they integrate into the Cevenole terraces, with thematic spaces like a "dry garden" inspired by the Middle Ages.

The architecture of the castle reveals historical strata: a 15th-century door decorated with the Chanaleilles and Montlaur coats of arms, a room of the arched guards, and a Renaissance facade with spiral staircase. The gardens, fed by a source rediscovered in 2005, also house terracotta works and sculptural plant structures. The site, anchored in the ardéchis landscape, links medieval heritage, rural history and artistic creation.

The castle's cultural activities include exhibitions, readings and performances, as part of the "Estivales du Château du Pin". The gardens, designed as an artistic extension of the estate, also welcome artists in residence. Their layout, marked by local materials (dry stone, chestnut) and medicinal plants, dialogue with the agricultural history of the place, while innovative by temporary or permanent installations.

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