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Origin and history

The Château de Brie, located in Champagnac-la-Rivière in Haute-Vienne, was authorized to be rebuilt in 1484 by Jean de Rochechouart for Jean Boschaud de Brie, squire, on the occasion of his marriage with Jeanne de Hautefort. This monument probably replaces an ancient medieval fortification, as suggested by granite foundations discovered in the cellars. The construction, typical of the strong limo houses of the late 15th century, combines defensive elements (round towers, mâchicoulis, drawbridge) and habitable (large windows, wooded lounges). The 84-step granite staircase, crowned with a flamboyant Gothic vault, serves three floors and a room called "the virgin" under the attic.

The seigneury of Brie, attested as early as the 12th century, passed from Boschaud de Brie (exposed in 1545) to the Chouly de Permangle family, then by alliance to Victor Riqueti de Mirabeau, father of the famous revolutionary tribune. The castle, devastated in 1793, was bought in 1845 by Stéphane Bouland, consul of the King of Sardinia in New York, who restored it. A Latin inscription above the entrance commemorates these events. The property also includes a fortified medieval barn (XIIIth–XVth century), equipped with scaffolds and murderers, possibly linked to the collection of royalties during the Wars of Religion. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1984, the barn and facades of the castle are protected.

Inside, the first floor preserves original oak parquet floors and two lounges decorated with woodwork and gypseries added around 1900. The estate, still owned by the descendants of the Bouland family (countes du Manoir de Juaye), also includes a dovecote from the 16th century. The architecture reflects the post-War transition of Cent Years, where castles lost their purely defensive vocation to gain comfort, while keeping symbolic elements of power, such as towers and ditches.

The site also illustrates the social dynamics of the region: the Boschaud de Brie, who became military lords, derive their name from the Roman colonization of Limousin, where the land was allocated to the soldiers. The wealth of Mademoiselle de Vassan, heiress of a vast territory including baronies, contrasts with the post-revolutionary decline of the estate, saved by the intervention of Stéphane Bouland, a businessman who made a fortune in America. The castle thus combines local history, adapted military architecture and complex family heritages.

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