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Key figures

Origin and history

Le château de la Fauconnière is a former fortified house located on the heights of Gannat, in the Allier department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Originally built with two towers and surrounded by walls, it was modified in the 16th century by the addition of a hexagonal tower and sled windows on its western façade. Accessible by the D998, it stands north of the road, in a wooded setting near the area of activity of the Pres Liats.

In the 15th century, the castle belonged to the Graulier family, originally from Gannat. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, he was acquired by Pierre Filhol, archbishop of Aix and influential figure of the time, born in the city. In July 1518 he obtained from the Duchess Anne the erection of the Fauconnière as a seigneurial fief, endowed with the rights of justice high, medium and low. The estate then passed to his nephew, Gilbert Filhol, and then, by marriage in 1689, to the family of Fontanges, which kept him until the end of the 19th century.

The castle was marked by the birth of two historical figures: François de Fontanges (1740-1822), lieutenant-general under the Restoration, and his homonymous brother (1744-1806), successively bishop of Nancy, archbishop of Bourges, Toulouse and Autun. In 1940, during the Vichy regime, the castle briefly welcomed the National School of Youth Management, before its transfer to Bayard Castle in Uriage.

Historical sources mention local studies, such as Dr Vannaire's in 1887, as well as specialized works on Bourbonnais castles, highlighting its heritage importance in the region. The site remains an architectural testimony of the transformations between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, linked to the history of the local noble families.

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