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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Salbrune, located in Beaune-d'Allier in the Allier, finds its origins in the 13th century with the construction of a first stone castle, succeeding an older castral wooden motte. This strategic site, at the border of Auvergne and Bourbonnais, is mentioned in 1569 by Nicolas de Nicolay in his General Description of Bourbonnais. The current round dungeon, the vestige of this medieval period, then belonged to the families of Beaucaire and then Bressolles. The ditches and quadrangular enclosure, now almost disappeared, testify to its initial defensive role.

In the 17th century, the castle was transformed into a seigneurial residence by Jean Desbouis, an enriched merchant of Montaigut-en-Combraille. Between 1688 and 1698, he had a five-span Louis XIII style house built alongside the medieval dungeon. His family, anobligated by the name Desbouis de Sallebrune, held prestigious positions: vice-sénéchal du Bourbonnais, treasurer general of France at Moulins. Jean's grandson, Jean Baptiste Desbouis de Sallebrune (1707–82), became a special lieutenant on the senes floor and mayor of Moulins twice (1739–43, 1749–50).

Abandoned in the 20th century, the castle deteriorated until its acquisition in 1979 by a family undertaking its restoration. The medieval tower, classified as a historical monument in 1992, is the only protected element. Its architecture combines a 15th-century staircase, preserved mâchicoulis, and a 17th-century house body with a 19th-century suspended staircase. The site, partly in ruins (wing of the communes), remains a rare example in Bourbonnais of transition between castle fort and remains pleasant.

Historical sources highlight its local importance: cited in works such as Castles, fiefs, mots... in Bourbonnais (2004), the castle illustrates feudal history and then seigneurial of the region. Its present state, between restoration and remains, reflects social and architectural changes over nearly eight centuries.

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