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Origin and history

The house of Bouquet, located near Cognac on the town of Javrezac, is a hunting lodge whose tradition attributes the construction to François I. Although this royal origin remains uncertain, its architecture and location suggest a cynegetic vocation related to the local court or aristocracy. The building, devoid of floor and surrounded by a glacis, evokes a strong house, while its symmetrical facade, centred by a staircase and a pediment decorated with pinacles, reflects the influence of the seigneurial houses of the Renaissance.

The house belonged to several influential families, including the Broussards, with Bertrand Broussard, a gentleman of the King's great veneration in 1696. He then passed to Lecoq de Boisbaudran, then to the Marquis de La Porte aux Loups before being confiscated during the Revolution. Rached by the Lecoq de Boisbaudran, he was married to Pierre-Étienne Albert, mayor of Cognac from 1791 to 1794. These changes of ownership illustrate the political and social upheavals of the Old Regime during the Revolution.

The architecture of the Bouquet house is distinguished by a gate dated 1670, leading to a courtyard closed by commons arranged on three sides. The French garden, typical of 17th century aristocratic residences, precedes the buildings, highlighting the social status of its occupants. The perfect symmetry of the house, divided by a central gallery, and the absence of a floor reinforce its defensive and residential character, mixing utility and prestige.

Sources also mention documents from the DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine and a bibliographical reference in Châteaux, manoirs et logis: La Charente (1993), confirming its regional heritage importance. Its history, linked to hunting and local aristocracy, makes it a witness to lifestyles and powers in Charente in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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