Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Busset, located in the southeast of the department of Allier in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, is a castle whose origins date back to the late 13th century. It was originally built by the Sires of Vichy, then became the residence of the Counts of Bourbon Busset from 1498, the date of the marriage of Marguerite de Tourzel of Allegre with Pierre de Bourbon, descendant of Saint Louis. The medieval dungeon, called the Henry IV Tower, bears witness to the king's visit in 1599, while the present architecture combines defensive elements (douves, drawbridge, cylindrical towers) and Renaissance and neo-Gothic additions, such as the 16th century frescoes inspired by Henri Baude's Dictz Moraulx.

The castle is distinguished by its shirted house, a rare structure where the exterior walls are lined with a second wall, creating a traffic corridor protecting the rooms. In the 19th century, architect René Hodé added neo-Gothic elements (tourelles, mâchicoulis). The chapel, built in 1858 in the courtyard, replaces the former parish church demolished in 1840. The gardens, inscribed in the heritage, combine French and Italian styles, while a giant sequoia dominates the courtyard. Partially classified as historical monuments between 1981 and 1993, the castle still houses traces of its 14 generations of owners, including 18th-century painted panels and a medieval oratory decorated with frescoes.

The auction of 2000 dispersed some of the furniture, including a tapestry of Audenarde (XVI century) sold 9,610 € in 2023. Today owned by a Swiss individual, the castle retains remarkable elements such as the 15th century kitchen gallery, with its arches in the middle of the hanger and its original fireplaces, or the tower of Riom, equipped with a heavy wood in perfect condition. The murals of the oratory and the frescoes of the gallery illustrate the artistic importance of the site, linked to figures such as Charles de Bourbon Busset (born 1590) or Caesar de Bourbon, cousin of Henry IV.

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