Initial construction period 1ère moitié du XVIIe siècle (≈ 1750)
General description of the current building.
Seconde moitié du XVIIe siècle
Construction by Jacques Amat
Construction by Jacques Amat Seconde moitié du XVIIe siècle (≈ 1775)
Precise attribution of the contractor.
2 février 1949
Domestic registration
Domestic registration 2 février 1949 (≈ 1949)
Partial protection under Historic Monuments.
4 juillet 2003
Total building registration
Total building registration 4 juillet 2003 (≈ 2003)
Extension of heritage protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Interiors: registration by decree of 2 February 1949 - The whole building (Case C 1468): registration by order of 4 July 2003
Key figures
Jacques Amat - Owner
Builder of the castle (second half 17th).
Origin and history
The so-called old castle of Upaix, located in the Hautes-Alpes (Provence-Alpes-Côte d-Azur), dates from the first half of the seventeenth century, although its construction is attributed to Jacques Amat in the second half of the same century. The building, built on two floors with a vaulted underlay in a cradle, is partially supported by ancient medieval structures, including a broken arched city gate and the remains of an urban enclosure. These elements, like the thickness of the south-east walls, evoke a seigneurial house from the lower Middle Ages reused or integrated into the current construction. The castle thus combines ancient defensive traces with a refined interior decor, typical of the modern era.
The interiors of the building, decorated with gypseries and French ceilings, were inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 2 February 1949. Extended protection, covering the entire building, was added on 4 July 2003 (Case C 1468). These measures highlight the heritage value of the site, where civil architecture and medieval remains are mixed. The exact location at 231 Rue du Valla remains approximate according to the available data, with a map accuracy considered fair (note 5/10).
The castle illustrates the transition between the Middle Ages and the modern era in the Southern Alps. Its construction by Jacques Amat, an identified contractor, is part of a context where local seigneurial families adapt their residences to new standards of comfort (inner spaces) while retaining inherited defensive elements. The integration of the medieval city gate into the current structure symbolizes this historical continuity. The building, although protected, does not seem systematically open to the visit, according to the sources consulted (Monumentum, Mérimée base).
