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Origin and history

The castle of Bionne, originally named château de Mont-Louis, is a Montpellierian madness built at the end of the 17th century, then transformed in the 19th century. Located at 1225 rue de Bionne, west of Montpellier, it is distinguished by its roof at the Mansard, rare for this type of monument. Originally, it belonged to Nicolas de Lamonion de Basville, intendant of justice and finance in Languedoc, who hid his adultery affair with Gabrielle Pavée de Villevieille, a scandal known throughout the city. A pamphlet of the time, The fairy tale of the Pucelles, mocked this case under the names of borrowing.

In 1718, after the departure of Basville, the castle changed hands several times, including those of the Bonnier family, which gave it its present name. A local legend evokes secret undergrounds linking Bionne to the Mosson Castle, although never found. In the 19th century, the estate passed to the Pourtalès families, Montpezat, then Thibault, before being acquired by the Tissie, close to the painter Frédéric Bazille. The latter immortalized the landscapes and his in-laws in paintings preserved at the Fabre Museum.

In the 20th century, the castle became a center of holiday settlements, then the first center of the Montpellier IVG, before being transformed into a hotel. Its architecture, although modified (replacement of tiles by slates), preserves original elements like a cave-fontaine dated from the Basville era. Today, it combines historical heritage and contemporary use, while keeping traces of its artistic and social past.

The Bionne estate was also a resort for art lovers, such as Alfred Bruyas, a friend of the Tissie. Frédéric Bazille painted Study for a harvest (1868) and a family reunion including Suzanne Tissié, wife of his brother. In 1918, Alphonse Tissie presented the Fabre Museum with a portrait of leatherwork painted by Bazille. The castle, linked to Montpellieran cultural history, thus embodies the connections between power, art and society from the 17th to the 20th century.

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