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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Combronde, located in the commune of the same name in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, occupies the site of an older building, originally linked to the house of Apchon and then to the dolphins of Auvergne from 1220. The present building, built in the 18th century, was acquired in 1764 by Gilbert François de Capponi, descendant of a Florentine family settled in France. The latter, from a line of Lyon bankers, bought the Marquisat de Combronde from the succession of Minister Jean-Jacques Amelot de Chaillou. The castle, in an aristocratic auvergnat style, consists of a body of rectangular houses flanked by two additional two-storey pavilions, with a north facade opening onto a courtyard and a south facade overlooking a partially reduced garden since the Revolution.

During the French Revolution, the Capponi family, having fled the country, abandoned the home, which then became a national good before being ceded to the commune. As early as 1800, the town hall established its offices, a function it still retains today. The castle preserves remarkable architectural and decorative elements, such as wrought iron balconies, an honour staircase ramp, ground woodwork, stucco and Versailles parquet floors. These features, as well as some interior rooms (secretariat, library, coat of arms room), led to its partial classification and its inscription in historical monuments in 1984.

The interior, although redesigned in the 19th century, illustrates the splendour of the noble residences of the 18th century in Auvergne. The gypsum works dominate the decor, while the commons and the garden, although modified, recall the original spatial organization. The castle thus embodies the heritage of local aristocratic families, while serving as an administrative place for the commune for more than two centuries. Its history reflects the political upheavals of the Revolution, as well as the adaptation of heritage buildings to contemporary public uses.

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