Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Cordès, located at 900 m above sea level on the commune of Orcival (Puy-de-Dôme), finds its origins in the Middle Ages with the family of Chalus, attested from 1268. The site, ceded in 1659 to Alègre, preserves a fortification of the 15th century rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries. Yves d'Alègre (1653–1733), Marshal of France, began work there on the decoration, including the gardens designed by André Le Nôtre in 1695. Sold in 1755 to Pierre Grangier de Védières, the property changed hands several times before being acquired in 1938 by the General Council of Puy-de-Dôme.

Ranked a historic monument in 1933, the castle combines defensive elements (mâchicoulis) and refined decorations: marble altarpiece of Carrara (XVI century), lying in Yves II of Allegre, stuccos and gypseries of the eighteenth century. The Saint-Yves chapel, built around 1755, houses 16th century furniture. The French-style park, with its charmilles and rose groves, completes this remarkable ensemble, partially registered in 1926.

The castle was also used as a literary and cinematic setting: Paul Bourget located Le Démon de midi (1914), while the film La Promise (1984) used it as a Frankenstein castle. Between 1939 and 1942, it houses collections from the Strasbourg National Library during the Second World War. Reborn in 1942, it was restored in the 20th century to preserve its authenticity.

The gardens, described in 1837 by Clermont naturalists, were represented in 1925 on a tapestry by Henri Pinguenet. Their route, attributed to Le Nôtre, includes a pond, aisles of charmilles and a vegetable garden. Ranked among the remarkable Gardens, they illustrate the evolution of aristocratic landscapes between classicism and romanticism.

The architecture reveals historical strata: remains of the 12th–14th centuries in the lower parts, large 15th century work, and residential developments of the 17th–15th centuries. The architect Louis Jarrier intervenes at the beginning of the 20th century, but only part of his projects is carried out. The last owner of the 20th century restored the whole with a special emphasis on its original character.

Future

The gardens of Cordès Castle are open to visitors during the summer season.

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