Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Paray Castle, located in Paray-le-Frésil in the Allier, is a building built at the end of the 16th century and profoundly renovated in the 18th century. It is distinguished by its main building body, flanked by a square tower and a round tower at the southeast and southwest ends, as well as a red and blue polychrome brick masonry. A square tower, vestige of the ancient medieval dungeon, remains to the right of the facade. Inside, a lounge-library with preserved woodwork bears witness to the past.

Since 1640 the castle has belonged to the family of Estutt de Tracy, after the marriage of Edmée de la Platière with François d'Estutt. In the 18th century, a chapel was erected in 1719 to celebrate the union of Joseph of Estutt of Tracy with Charlotte Marion of Druy. The estate, marked by figures such as Antoine Desputt de Tracy (philosopher of "ideologists" and senator) and his son Victor (Minister of the Navy in 1848), suffered a devastating fire in 1968. Reconstructed by Claude de Tracy, he regains his original proportions.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1981 for its facades and roofs, the castle embodies the architectural and intellectual heritage of Bourbonnais. His history mixes local aristocracy, architectural transformations and literary anecdotes, as his evocation by Georges Simenon in the universe of Commissioner Maigret, though fictional. Medieval remains and classical additions make it a witness to the stylistic evolutions between Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

External links