Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Davayat Castle, located in Limagne near Riom (Puy-de-Dôme), finds its origins at the end of the 16th century with the construction of a pavilion by Blaise Roze, a rich riomese merchant. Around 1640, Amable Valeix, a tanner and consul of Riom, inherited the estate in 1658 and undertook major redevelopments, transforming the pavilion into a classic gentilhommière. The main body, lying on six spans and three levels, incorporates decorative elements such as a pediment oculus decorated with ball, typical of the Louis XIII style. A first French-style garden is probably built during this period.

In the 18th century, the castle passed to the Dutour family, recently anoblique, via Claude Dutour, squire secretary of the king, whose coat of arms still appears on the facade. The expansion projects (two wings in return) remain unfinished: only the East wing, attributed to the architect Claude-François-Marie Attiret, is carried out. This wing has a doric portico with five columns supporting a balustrade terrace, while on the upper floor, oval occults remind Chinese influences. The garden, structured in large aisles, is enclosed by a iron gate decorated with shields.

In the 19th century, the estate was an alliance between the Bar family and the Saulieus, still owners today. Raymond de Bar, commander of the army and deputy under the Third Republic, left the castle to his niece Germaine, wife of Jacques de Saulieu. The park, transformed in English in the middle of the 19th century, found a French drawing in the 20th century thanks to the milled landscaper Treyve (or Trier). Among the notable outbuildings are a chapel disused in 1707 but restored in 1837, a "flag of the refractory priest" sheltered a cleric during the Revolution, as well as a greenhouse and an ancient pergola.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2006, the castle houses collections of objects (Mary Antoinette's furniture, fans, Tanagra figurines) and a 17th century library. The five-hectare park, adorned with a quadricentennial yew, Volvic stone lions and a basin, illustrates the evolution of landscape tastes. The 18th wing, with its medallion terrace and colonnade, bears witness to the unfinished aristocratic fascist.

The tours allow you to discover the furnished apartments, the communes (grange, orangery, stable) and the historical hydraulic system. The castle, symbol of Limugnon heritage, blends bourgeois heritage, eclectic architectural influences and revolutionary memory, while remaining an active family property.

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