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Château de Bocaud à Jacou dans l'Hérault

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château de style Classique
Hérault

Château de Bocaud

    Rue de la Chapelle
    34830 Jacou
Château de Bocaud
Château de Bocaud
Château de Bocaud
Château de Bocaud
Château de Bocaud
Château de Bocaud
Château de Bocaud
Crédit photo : Picasa - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1477
Installation of the Bocaud family
1618
Construction of the castle
1624
Conversion to Catholicism
1712
Garden development
1760
*Fables* gypseries
1842
Sale of the castle
1991
Acquisition by Jacou
2019
Post-Remediation Inauguration
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Together formed by the estate, namely: the castle with its interior decorations including stained glass and gypseries; the spaces - both communal and private - delimited by the enclosure of the former seigneurial estate, including the remaining parts of this fence wall (cf. AN 9 (old vegetable garden) , 16 (aisle) , 17 (gardens and park) , 19 (water buildings with Nymph cave) , 22-26 (parks loties and driveway) , 29 (town recreation grounds) ; AO 550, 552): registration by order of 31 July 2000 - The gardens and the park with the water building housing the adorned Nymph cave, with its terraces and all its amenities and elements of architectural decoration and sculptures, including the large driveway planted with the gate that bounds it, with fence walls, floors, terraces (cad. AN 9 ( garden) , 16 ( aisle) , 17 ( garden and park) , 19 (nymphea) ) : classification by order of 6 July 2001

Key figures

Raulin Bocaud - Magistrate and Lord Premier Bocaud installed in Jacou in 1477.
Pierre de Bocaud - Builder of the castle Built the castle in 1618, converted in 1624.
Hercule de Bocaud - Owner in the 18th century Set up the gardens and cave in 1712.
Cardinal de Richelieu - State man Visit Pierre de Bocaud in 1636 and 1642.

Origin and history

Bocaud Castle was founded in 1618, when Pierre de Bocaud, a Protestant magistrate converted to Catholicism in 1624, built the original structure. Descending from Raulin Bocaud (installed in Jacou in 1477), he designed a series of pieces with 17th century woodwork, still visible today. The castle then reflected his family's loyalty to the Crown, as evidenced by the visits of Cardinal Richelieu in 1636 and 1642 to his Montpellieran hotel.

In the 18th century, the estate underwent two major transformation campaigns. As early as 1712, Hercules de Bocaud (grandson of Pierre) created gardens closed to the French, with beds, terraces, and a snow cave decorated with shells and rocks. An aqueduct supplies fountains and ponds from a local source. Around 1760, gypseries inspired by the Fables de La Fontaine decorated a living room, typical of Montpellierian madness like La Mogère.

The 19th century marked a turning point with the sale of the castle in 1842 by the descendants of Bocaud. Between 1873 and 1878, a Napoleonic decor was added, and a romantic landscaped park (lake, island) completed the gardens. Purchased by the municipality of Jacou in 1991, the castle was restored and inaugurated in 2019: it now houses the municipal library and utilities, while its gardens (2001) remain an exceptional set.

The protection of the estate has been official since 2000 (registration) and 2001 (classification), covering the castle, its interior decorations (glass windows, gypseries), the gardens, the Nymph cave, and the walls of the enclosure. These measures preserve a heritage illustrating the architectural and landscape evolution of Languedoc, from the wars of religion to the Third Republic.

External links