Château de Lavaud-Blanche dans la Creuse

Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Lavaud-Blanche is located in the commune of Compas, 3 km south of Auzances, in the department of Creuse (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Originally, this fief was known as Pasquanet as early as 1444, before taking the name Lavaud around 1600, then Lavaud-Blanche later. The estate belonged to a noble lineage, mainly military, whose family weapons – gold to the sand lion – symbolize their heritage. The present castle, rebuilt after its partial destruction in the early 19th century, retains the base of a medieval tower, now covered with an oblique roof.

The main house body, facing south, has five openings on three levels, surrounded by partly renovated agricultural outbuildings. One of these houses now houses a cottage. The fief was acquired in 1444 by Durand de Laval, a bourgeois of Auzances, whose descendants, like the Pasquanet of Pierrebrune, marked the local history. Among them, Jean-Baptiste de Pierrebrune, lieutenant-colonel and knight of Saint-Louis, was arrested in 1791 by the revolutionary committee of Auzances, illustrating the upheavals of the Revolution.

Today's architecture mixes medieval remains – the truncated tower – with a 19th century reconstruction, typical of rural mansions. The domain remains a testimony of the social and political transformations of the Creuse, between Earth nobility and modern adaptations. The family's weapons, accompanied by a star and a crescent Gules, recall the historic anchor of the site.

External links