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  2. Patrimoine
  3. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
  4. Ain
  5. 01800 Joyeux

  6. Happy Castle

 Happy Castle à Joyeux dans l'Ain

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château de style Louis XIII

Happy Castle

    D61 
    01800 Joyeux
Private property
Museums of France
All the castles of France Louis XIII style castle
Château de Joyeux
Château de Joyeux
Château de Joyeux
Château de Joyeux
Château de Joyeux
Château de Joyeux
Château de Joyeux
Château de Joyeux
Château de Joyeux
Crédit photo : Benoît Prieur (1975–) Autres noms Nom de naissance - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1892
Development of the park
1897
Preliminary sketches
1902
Completion of the castle
1920
Land development
1938
Transmission of the domain
2009
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The château de Joyeux in its entirety with its entrance hall equipped with its staircase of honor and its stone fireplace with its haze adorned with a tapestry, the green living room adorned with woodwork and its stone fireplace adorned with a mirror surmounted by a painted canvas, the large living room with its stone fireplace adorned with a painted canvas, its stuccos, woodwork and its four corner furniture matching these, the dining room with its stone fireplace adorned with a painted canvas, its vaselier in alcove with its decorative woodwork, the staircase of service, the toilets of the ground floor, the stone basins and the original sanitary and electrical installations, on the floor of the north-east the red room adorned with its canvases of Genoa, on the south-west floor the bedroom adorned with a panoramic painted paper, the commons of the castle facades and roofs, the regular garden with its elements of decoration, the park and the plots on which they are located (cad. A 233, 229, 232, 88, 223, 228, 225, 80, 226, 192, 85, 86, 224: castle, commons, leisure garden; for the landscaped park, the appropriate protection perimeter retained by the CRPS): inscription by order of 27 March 2008 - All the built and unbuilt parts of the estate, in full (see A 233, 229, 232, 88, 223, 228, 225, 80, 226, 192, 85, 86, 224): by order of 3 September 2009

Key figures

Georges Meillet-Montessuy - Sponsor and owner Industrial silk, project initiator.
Henri Duchêne - Landscape architect and architect Unique designer of the castle and gardens.
Fernande Eynard - Collaborator and wife of Meillet-Montessuy Co-designer of the castle with Duchêne.
Achille Duchêne - Landscape architect Amenage the north and south beds.
Frédérique Tezenas du Montcel - Contemporary landscaper Restoration of the award-winning park in 2012.
Marie-France de Barbentane - Current Owner The daughter-in-law of the Marquise de Barbentane.

Origin and history

The castle of Joyeux, located in the department of Ain, was built between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Sponsored by Georges Meillet-Montessuy, a silk industrialist, he is the only architectural achievement of Henri Duchêne, a landscape architect. The design was a collaboration between Duchêne and Fernande Eynard, wife of Meillet-Montessuy, integrating innovations such as a metal frame and a central steam heater.

The 200-hectare estate, 15 of which were built, was transferred to Georges Meillet-Montessuy's wife after his death, and then to his niece, the Marquise of Barbentane, in 1938. The gardens, designed by Achille Duchêne in the 1920s, and the park, built in 1892, feature landscape perspectives towards the mountains. The castle, classified as a historical monument in 2009, combines modern comfort and architectural harmony.

In the 21st century, the castle was inhabited by Marie-France de Barbentane, stepdaughter of the Marquise. The estate, partially open to the public, hosts lodgings and events to finance its maintenance. In 2012, Frédérique Tezenas du Montcel received a prize for restoring the park's 15 hectares. Guided tours, by reservation, allow you to discover richly decorated interiors and gardens.

The protected elements include the entire castle, its interiors (green lounge, large living room, dining room), the commons, and the park. The interior architecture, marked by woodwork, stucco and fireplaces designed by Duchêne, reflects aesthetic and functional research. Technical innovations, such as equipped bathrooms, demonstrate a desire for modernity for the time.

The castle of Joyeux is distinguished by its global landscape approach, where the building and exterior form a coherent whole. The north and south beds, designed by Achille Duchêne, and the geometric vegetable garden illustrate this vision. The estate, always private, perpetuates its heritage through tourist activities and active heritage management.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum