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Origin and history

The Château de Villemoleix, located in Chambon-sur-Voueize in the department of Creuse (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), is a former seigneurial estate attested in the 15th century. Its architecture includes a four-storey house body, partly surrounded by a pond, as well as a 15th century dovecote, remarkable for its sculptures (fleurs de lilies, human and animal heads) and 445 stone bolts. This dovecote, inscribed in historical monuments in 2010, illustrates the symbolic and practical importance of these buildings in medieval seigneuries.

The site is home to a modern historical singularity: the wreck of a Hurel-Dubois HD-321 aircraft, an experimental prototype of the French secret services, crushed in 1960 during a failed landing. This rare model, used for clandestine missions behind the iron curtain, was built only in two copies. The current owner keeps the carling on site, accessible to enthusiasts for tours or shots, although the aircraft can no longer fly.

The castle, now on the edge of the local airfield, keeps traces of its transformations over the centuries. The lower courtyard still houses the dovecote on foot, modified (obstructed door, enlarged bay) but preserving original elements such as its larmier and metal ridge. The surrounding agricultural buildings and the layout of an old building complement this testimony of the evolution of a Limousin seigneurial estate.

The inscription of the dovecote in 2010 underscores its heritage value, while the wreck of the HD-321 adds a geopolitical dimension to the place. This contrast between medieval heritage and the remains of the Cold War makes Villemoleix Castle an atypical site, mixing local history and memory of 20th century conflicts.

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