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Origin and history

Fouranges Castle is a building located in Broût-Vernet, in the Allier department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Built in the 18th century, it appears on the map of Cassini and replaces a noble house or an earlier castle dated the 16th century. Its west façade slightly overlooks the Andelot valley, accessible by a road linking Saint-Pont and Mayet-d'École.

Before the present castle, an older building existed on the site, whose lords were mentioned as early as the seventeenth century. In 1634 Gabrielle Chamalet, heir to his father Antoine Chamalet, lord of Fouranges, owned the land. Through her marriage, the latter was passed on to Pierre de Coustaud, seigneur of Fontviolant at Saint-Germain-de-Salles.

The Fouranges site illustrates the architectural and seigneurial evolution typical of Bourbonnais, where noble families pass on lands and buildings through marriage alliances. The castle, though transformed in the 18th century, thus preserves traces of its feudal and modern history.

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