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Château de Beauvoir à Échassières dans l'Allier

Allier

Château de Beauvoir

    19 Le Moulin
    03330 Échassières
Crédit photo : Conver's Allier photographie - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1200
1300
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIIe siècle - XVIe siècle
Family Possession Le Loup
XVIe siècle - 1775
Possession of the family of Alègre
9 décembre 1929
Registration for Historic Monuments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Parts of the 14s and 15s comprising the north enclosure wall with its two towers and its body of drawbridge, the stair turret and the large south-west tower: inscription by order of 9 December 1929

Key figures

Famille Le Loup - Lords of the castle Owners from the twelfth to the sixteenth century.
Famille d'Alègre - Lords of the castle Owners until 1775 by marriage.

Origin and history

The Château de Beauvoir is a castle built in the 15th century, located in the commune of Échasses, in the department of Allier. It is about 1 km east of the village, near the D 998, on the edge of the Colettes forest. This monument occupied a strategic position on the borders of Bourbonnais, with defensive elements still visible today, such as the wall of enclosure flanked by two towers, an isolated tower and a turret.

The seigneury and the castle of Beauvoir belonged from the 12th century to the beginning of the 16th century to the family Le Loup, an influential family of Bourbonnais. Subsequently, the castle passed by marriage to the family of Alègre, who kept it until 1775. After that date, he changed owners several times. Today, it houses the headquarters of the Société des kaolins de Beauvoir, which exploits the kaolin deposits of the forest des Colettes, renowned for their purity.

The castle was partially listed as historical monuments by order of 9 December 1929. Among the protected elements are the north wall with its two towers and drawbridge body, the stair turret and the large southwest tower. The fortified door, with removable opening murderers and an ingenious defence system, bears witness to its historic defensive role.

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