Acquisition by the Dumoustiers milieu du XIVe siècle (≈ 1450)
The seigneury passes to the Dumoustier, squire.
1592
Reconstruction of the entrance pavilion
Reconstruction of the entrance pavilion 1592 (≈ 1592)
Damaged by the Leaguers, restored this year.
début XVIe siècle
Construction of the current castle
Construction of the current castle début XVIe siècle (≈ 1604)
Built by the Dumoustiers on old foundations.
1604
Acquisition by the Dorsannes
Acquisition by the Dorsannes 1604 (≈ 1604)
The Dorsanne family became the owner of the castle.
entre 1646 et 1715
Construction of the dovecote
Construction of the dovecote entre 1646 et 1715 (≈ 1715)
Period of construction of the seigneurial dovecote.
1789 (Rvolution)
Sale as a national good
Sale as a national good 1789 (Rvolution) (≈ 1789)
Confiscated and sold during the Revolution.
24 novembre 1997
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 24 novembre 1997 (≈ 1997)
Registration of facades, roofs and exterior elements.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofs of the housing body; facades and roofs of buildings of the communes; entrance and wall that connects it to the northern building of the communes; platform of the castle, i.e. the courtyard with the north wall and the terrace bearing the remains of the north-east quadrangular tower; old garden and moat; "place" in front of the castle, crossed by the aisle of arrival; facades and roofs of the lower courtyard building; dovecote (Box A 162 to 164, 166, 167): registration by order of 24 November 1997
Key figures
Famille Dumoustier - Initial Lords and Builders
Builders of the castle in the 16th century.
Famille Dorsanne - Modernizer Lords (XVIIe)
Acquerers in 1604, responsible for Baroque transformations.
Origin and history
The castle of Zaragoza, located in Limeux in the department of Cher, finds its origins in a first construction dated from the 11th or 12th century. However, the present castle was erected in the 16th century by the Dumoustier family, squire holders of the seigneury since the middle of the 14th century. The latter, which came from the little Berrichonne nobility, built a marina typical of the postwar Cent Years, characterized by a rectangular house with turrets and an axial staircase tower. The site, established on a fossilized platform, also included service buildings and a courtyard close, reflecting the defensive and residential organization of the old fort houses.
Acquired in 1604 by the Dorsanne family, lords of Mérolles, the castle underwent modernizations under Henry IV or Louis XIII, especially after the damage caused by the Leagues in 1592. The staircase tower door was then decorated with a hybrid decor, mixing Renaissance and Baroque, while the dovecote was built between 1646 and 1715. An arcade gallery, now extinct, subsequently replaced the north courtine, and the facades adopted a classic ordinance. The estate, sold as a national good during the Revolution, nevertheless retained its original organization, including moat, bassyard and a garden lined with ditches. Ranked Historic Monument in 1997, it illustrates the architectural and social evolution of the little Berrichonne nobility over four centuries.
The history of the castle of Zaragoza is inseparable from two notable families: the Dumoustier, who laid the foundations of it in the sixteenth century, and the Dorsanne, who modernized it in the seventeenth century. These families, from the noble bourgeoisie of Berry, embody the role of local lords in post-medieval reconstruction and adaptation to new residential norms. The monument, with its protected elements (logis, commons, entrance, moat and dovecote), today bears witness to this transition from medieval fort to residence, while preserving the traces of the conflicts and transformations that marked the region.
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