Construction of the castle 1660-1663 (≈ 1662)
Built for Jean-Armand du Peyrer, Count of Treville.
milieu du XIXe siècle
Development of the park
Development of the park milieu du XIXe siècle (≈ 1950)
Creation of a park in English.
12 juillet 2012
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 12 juillet 2012 (≈ 2012)
Protection of the castle and its park.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The castle, its outbuildings, its terrace with its retaining walls, its staircases, its regular garden and its pond, its ironwork dovecoier, its park with its walls and gates (cad. B 432, 483 to 485): registration by order of 12 July 2012
Key figures
Jean-Armand du Peyrer - Count of Tréville and Captain-Lieutenant
Sponsor of the castle, inspired by the Three Musketeers.
François Mansart - Architect assigned
Will have designed the plans (allocation not confirmed).
Origin and history
Eliçabéa Castle, also known as Elizabea, is a classical monument built between 1660 and 1663 in the commune of Trois-Villes in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It was erected for Jean-Armand du Peyrer, Count of Tréville and former captain-lieutenant of the Musketeers of Louis XIII, a figure popularized by Alexandre Dumas in Les Trois Musquetaires. The plans of the building are sometimes attributed to architect François Mansart, although this paternity is not confirmed with certainty. The castle dominates the valley of the Season and is distinguished by a facade adorned with sled windows, framed by two forebodys.
The estate extends over a terrace overlooking the mountainous landscape of Haute-Soule. Its architecture includes a body of central houses in retreat on the eastern facade, flanked by two side pavilions, while the west facade remains unspoilt. The windows, mostly with sills, alternate circular and triangular frontons, with grey marble frames. An English park of six hectares, built in the 19th century, completes the whole. The castle, its outbuildings, its regular garden and its park were listed as historic monuments on 12 July 2012.
Jean-Armand du Peyrer, known as M. de Tréville in Dumasian fiction, embodies the link between this castle and the 17th century French military history. The attribution of the plans to Mansart, although controversial, underscores the architectural ambition of the building, combining classicism and elegance. The site, open on a mountain panorama, reflects both an aristocratic residential function and a desire for prestige, characteristic of the great domains of the period.
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