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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Bijou is a building of the middle of the eighteenth century, erected around 1751 in Chomérac, in the department of Ardèche. Commanded by the Marquis de Gerlande, lord of Privas, he was conceived as a gift for his future wife, Anne-Clémence Bouvier, daughter of a renowned doctor and a local aristocratic family. This castle, originally inspired by the regional bastides, reflected the high social status of its owners and their connection with the ardèche nobility.

Passed into the hands of several families by inheritance or sale, the castle of Bijou underwent major architectural transformations. At the beginning of the 19th century, four crenellated turrets were added, while an elevation of the Mansard roofs occurred around 1880. After belonging to the Chaberts, the silk industry, it was eventually converted into a tourist establishment, now offering guest rooms and gîtes.

Located south of the village of Chomérac, at the place called the Bijou, the building is distinguished by its three-storey rectangular house body, typical of the seigneurial residences of the time. Its history illustrates the social and economic changes of the Ardèche, moving from an aristocratic home to a heritage dedicated to welcoming the public, while preserving the traces of its noble and industrial origins.

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