First medieval residence avant 1530 (≈ 1530)
Maison modeste des Chalvet de Rochemonteix on the site.
1658-1675
South Wing Transformation
South Wing Transformation 1658-1675 (≈ 1667)
Expansion between the Middle Ages and the 17th century.
1675
Beginning of the Southern Pavilion
Beginning of the Southern Pavilion 1675 (≈ 1675)
Unfinished until the 18th century.
1741-1755
Final construction campaign
Final construction campaign 1741-1755 (≈ 1748)
Central Corps, North Pavilion and common built.
1er juillet 1986
Historic Monument Protection
Historic Monument Protection 1er juillet 1986 (≈ 1986)
Registration of facades and roofs.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofs of the housework (Cases C 146 to 148): inscription by order of 1 July 1986
Key figures
Famille des Chalvet de Rochemonteix - Historical owners
Sponsors of transformations in the seventeenth-XVIIIth centuries.
Origin and history
The castle of Vernassal, located in Léotoing in Haute-Loire (region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), has its origins before 1530 with a modest residence belonging to the Chalvet de Rochemonteix family. This first building, partially preserved in the current walls, was thoroughly redesigned between 1658 and 1675 to form the south wing, then rebuilt in the seventeenth century. Work continued in the 18th century, especially in 1741, with the partial completion of the southern pavilion, which had begun in 1675 but remained unfinished at that time. The last construction campaign, between 1741 and 1755, concerned the central body, the northern pavilion and its annexes, giving the castle its present structure: a rectangular building flanked by two symmetrical pavilions, framing a central forebody surmounted by a pediment with the coat of arms of Rochemonteix.
The castle's outbuildings include crib vaulted stables, a square dovecote in stone, as well as two front terraces and a back court of honour. Inside, only two rooms on the ground floor of the newly renovated North Pavilion escape widespread ruin. The central suspended staircase, once imposing, has disappeared, just like the original top floor, probably covered with a broken roof illuminated by skylights. The oak and elm parquet floors, arranged in Versailles motifs, and the stone fireplaces, however, bear witness to the past fascination of the house. The gardens, on two levels of terraces and visible on the map of Cassini from 1769, are now empty.
Vernassal Castle has been partially protected since 1 July 1986 with the inscription of its facades and roofs as historical monuments. Its architectural history reflects the stylistic evolutions of the 17th and 18th centuries, mixing medieval heritage (reused route, old walls) and classicism (signal symmetry, triangular pediment). The family of Rochemonteix, owner of the premises, left its weapons there as the only visible heraldic trace, while the commons, like the stables in the shape of L, illustrate the domestic organization of a rural seigneury of Ancien Régime.
