Completion of the castle 1819 (≈ 1819)
End of reconstruction undertaken.
4 novembre 1982
Historic Monument Protection
Historic Monument Protection 4 novembre 1982 (≈ 1982)
Classification and registration of items.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The sheepfold with its peristyle with columns; the greenhouse colonnade; the dairy pavilion; the bathroom pavilion; the two outbuildings; the metal aviary cage; the fountain with its basin (cf. E 444, 449, 451, 644) : Order of 4 November 1982; The castle with the remaining elements of decoration (Box E 452): inscription by decree of 4 November 1982
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
The source text does not mention any names.
Origin and history
At the beginning of the 19th century, the old castle of Montagrier was in ruins. A complete reconstruction was undertaken and completed in 1819. The new neoclassical building consists of a central body flanked by two pavilions, a colonnade sheepfold, outbuildings and a metal cage. The south façade has a central forebody surmounted by a triangular pediment, while the north façade offers a rotunda with window doors with a curved arched pediment. The interior preserves an Empire decor, especially in the rotunda room on the ground floor, adorned with a colonnade to the capitals "Return from Egypt" in lotus flowers and a floor in marquetry.
The rooms of the castle have a marked architectural decoration, with pilasters with Corinthian or Egyptian capitals, pediments and impostes. According to the family tradition, the two pavilions had specific uses: one served as a dairy (recognizable to its jar carved on the door), the other as a bathroom. In front of the main façade, a colonnade of twelve Doric columns, now partially preserved, led to a sheepfold inspired by Greek temples, with a portal of sixteen Doric columns. A metal cage, designed to house exotic animals, as well as a stone fountain decorated with a dolphin complete this eclectic ensemble.
The castle and its outbuildings were protected under the Historic Monuments in 1982. The classification order concerns the sheepfold and its peristyle, the greenhouse colonnade, the pavilions (milk and bathroom), outbuildings, the aviary cage and the fountain. The castle itself, with its remaining interior decorations, was inscribed by the same decree. The exact address, 3 Montagrier in Saint-Bonnet-de-Bellac (Haute-Vienne), places this monument in a rural setting, reflecting the influence of Egypt's countryside returns and imperial tastes on the provincial architecture of the early 19th century.
