Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Losmonerie, also called the castle of Osmonerie, is attested as manse (rural domain) from the 14th century, but only became seigneurial seat at the end of the 16th century. The current buildings, organized in squares around a courtyard and an agricultural courtyard, combine a body of houses from the late 15th–early 16th century (with a flamboyant Gothic stairway tower) and a wing added to the 17th century. A gallery on two levels, decorated with Renaissance motifs (canned columns, diamond, discs), links the two parts. A chapel and pavilions frame the monumental entrance, marked by stone pillars.

Built around 1535 as a house in the Renaissance fields for Jean Chantois, elected for the king in Limoges, the castle preserves 17th century painted decorations (French ceilings, fireplaces) and 18th century interiors. A vaulted cellar extends under the central lounge, and the south wing houses eight 18th-century Aubusson tapestries, classified as Historic Monuments, made to measure for the place. These elements testify to its continued occupation by the same family since the sixteenth century.

The castle was remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries, including a work campaign around 1760 to modernize the interiors. Partly inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 2009 (house bodies, pavilions and gate), it illustrates the architectural evolution of a noble limo house, between medieval heritage, Renaissance and classical adaptations. Its furniture and decors in situ make it a rare example of heritage preserved in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

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