Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Davayat Castle, located in Davayat in Puy-de-Dôme, is a classic style belge built in stages from 1595. Initiated by Blaise Roze, a riomese merchant, the original pavilion was rearranged around 1640 before moving in 1658 to Amable Valeix, a tanner merchant of Riom, who made it his "country house". The initial project, including two symmetrical wings, was never completed, especially because of the French Revolution which interrupted the construction of the Louis XVI wing.

The architecture of the main body, elongated on six spans and three levels, is distinguished by a pediment oculus and dormers decorated with stone balls. The east wing, probably designed by architect Claude-François-Marie Attiret (1750-1823), features a doric portico and a balustrade terrace. Claude Dutour's coat of arms, the king's secretary and owner in the 18th century, is still on the facade. The castle then passed to the families of Bar and Saulieu, still owners today.

The park, originally built in French in the 17th century, was transformed in English in the 19th century before returning to its classic design in the 20th century thanks to landscape architect Treyve. It houses a decommissioned chapel in 1707, a "flag of the refractory priest" which was used as a cache during the Revolution, as well as remarkable outbuildings (serre, orangery, stables). The castle, classified as a Historical Monument, is visited today for its furnished apartments, its collections (objects of Marie-Antoinette, 17th century library) and its centenary garden.

The interiors display historical objects, including a chair belonging to Marie-Antoinette and a chest linked to Count Axel de Fersen. The five-hectare park, structured by aisles of chestnut trees and decorated with sculptures, features a four-hundred-year-old if and a basin. Two stone lions of Volvic keep the court of honour, while the 18th wing offers a colonnade terrace of the same material.

The castle illustrates the architectural and landscape evolution of noble residences in Auvergne, from Renaissance construction to 19th and 20th century renovations. Its history also reflects political upheavals, such as the interruption of work during the Revolution or the decommissioning of the chapel in 1707, restored only in 1837.

External links