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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Joviac is a majestic building located in Rochemaure, in the department of Ardèche, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, it is distinguished by its imposing architecture, consisting of two floors with symmetrical openings, flanked by two circular towers and an ancient square dungeon. The courtyard of honour, framed by high walls and an elegant gate, precedes a building whose interior preserves a typical organization of seigneurial houses: kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, and a large reception room on the noble floor. The attices, pierced by circular openings, recall the old local magnanies, dedicated to the breeding of silkworms.

The domain's dependencies reflect its historical economic and social role. A "U"-shaped ensemble houses an old milling room and a gurney, while a house of the poor bears witness to the food distributions organized by the lords, probably until the Revolution. The park, surrounded by a 19th-century grid, is home to centuries-old oaks and plane trees, some dating back to the 18th century. A chapel, an orangery surmounted by a dovecote, terraces furnished with vegetable gardens and orchards, as well as a complex hydraulic system, underline the autonomy and innovation of the estate. These elements, coupled with stables, a bread oven and a pool, draw a coherent agricultural and residential complex.

Ranked and listed as historical monuments between 1971 and 2001, the castle of Joviac embodies the legacy of the great rural estates ardèche. His hydraulic system, studied by historians such as Daniel Bouix, and his gardens, analysed by Françoise Conac, reveal a rational management of resources, inspired perhaps by local figures such as Olivier de Serres. The site, always surrounded by cereal fields, remains a remarkable testimony of architecture and seigneurial life between Renaissance and modern times.

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