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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Montmoirat, located in Autrac in the Haute-Loire department, is a building dating back to the 13th century. However, its current construction began in 1635, under the impulse of Jacques du Prat, who acquired the land after the death of Jacques Jérôme de la Volpilière, lord of Montmoirat. This estate consists of a strong house and several outbuildings organized around an unclosed courtyard, including barns, a sheepfold and residential buildings.

The castle remained unfinished in 1669, as evidenced by the still visible waiting stones. Jean du Prat, son of Jacques, left the estate to his cousin François de Douhet. The two aligned barns probably date from the seventeenth century, while the other agricultural buildings, although present on the cadastral plan of 1843, may have been built later, perhaps in the eighteenth century. The ensemble illustrates a rural architecture characteristic of its time.

Montmoirat Castle has been listed as a historic monument since 30 September 1991. This protection covers not only the castle itself, but also its outbuildings, including barn-stable, sheepfold and communal buildings. The materials used, such as gneiss lauze for roofs or lava for frames, reflect local construction techniques.

The site, although partially modified over the centuries, retains a structure consistent with its 17th century origin. The scauguuettes, the bread oven and the appenti or conical roofs add to its historical character. Today, the castle remains a valuable testimony to the rural history of the Haute-Loire and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

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