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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Bity, located in Sarran in Corrèze, has its origins in the sixteenth century, but it was completely rebuilt in the early seventeenth century after being destroyed by fire in 1579 during the Wars of Religion. The reconstruction was initiated by Pierre Dupuy, adviser at Tulle Presidual, and the estate remained in his family until 1746. On that date, Roch Dupuy, seigneur-curé of Darazac, bequeathed him to his nephew Jean Gabriel Martin La Selve, anoblied in 1749 for his services. Selve's family kept the castle until 1843, before settling in the Château de la Gâne.

In the 20th century, Bity Castle became a place of residence for prominent personalities. According to a persistent rumour, Leon Trotsky lived there between July 1933 and June 1935, hosted by William-Noël Lucas-Shadwell, a former British colonel and archaeologist, who then owned the premises. During the Second World War, the castle served as a refuge for resistors before being transformed into a hospital. These events add a historical and political dimension to the monument.

In 1969, the castle was acquired by Jacques and Bernadette Chirac, who classified it as a historic monument on April 3rd of the same year. This classification allowed its restoration with public aid. Jacques Chirac, then Secretary of State, used this place as a secondary residence, even receiving Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1999. Despite controversy over its maintenance and its cost to the state, the castle remains a symbol of recent French political history.

Architecturally, the castle consists of a body of 17th-century rectangular houses, flanked by four square towers with scauguettes. Two 18th-century pavilions frame a terraced courtyard, opening onto a garden. These elements reflect stylistic changes between the two centuries of construction and occupation of the estate.

Bity Castle has also been at the heart of controversy, particularly regarding its financing and use. In 2011, an investigation revealed that its surveillance cost the state 420,000 euros a year, while Jacques Chirac only paid it once a year. Despite this, the site retains an undeniable heritage and historical value, illustrating the links between power, architecture and collective memory.

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