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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Doux Castle is a neo-classical building built in the middle of the 19th century in Yolet, Cantal. It replaces an old castle belonging to the family of Sales du Doux, local lords. The new building, inspired by the Palladian architecture of the eighteenth century, initially consists of a central body flanked by two lateral forebodys, of which only the left part remains today. Its attic, niches and roof in canal tiles evoke an Italian villa, while its troubadour style chapel faces it.

The construction was initiated by Jeanne Émilie de Sales du Doux (1788–72) and her husband, Charles de Pollalion de Glavenas, cavalry officer, after their marriage in 1815. Their eldest daughter, Marie Françoise, married Louis Désiré de La Salle de Rochemaure in 1850, transmitting the estate to their son, Louis-Félix de La Salle de Rochemaure (1856–1915). The latter, a prominent figure of the Cantal and Occitan writer, is buried in the chapel, which serves as a family burial. The castle, with its bourgeois interior decorations (woodworks, fireplaces), was listed as a historic monument in 1992.

The interior is organized around a central stairwell, with enfilade rooms on the ground floor. The decor reflects the taste of the middle-nineteenth-century bourgeoisie, blending classical elegance and functionality. The chapel, a remarkable part of the estate, illustrates the architectural eclecticism of the period, between neoclassicism and troubadour romanticism. Today, the castle and its chapel, protected for their heritage interest, bear witness to the history of a noble Cantalian family and its local anchor.

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