Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Ravel Castle, attested as early as 1147 with Pierre de Ravel as first occupant, was a strategic fortress in the 12th century. Bernard de Revel, baili de Clermont, was the first seigneur around 1171. The oldest parts date back to that time. Philippe Auguste seized in 1212 during conflicts in Auvergne, then Alphonse de Poitiers grew in the 13th century. Chatard de Ravel sold it to King Philippe le Hardi in 1283, marking his passage to the crown.

In 1294, Philippe le Bel became a royal property, offering Pierre Flote, Chancellor of France, five laps. The castle then passed into the hands of the Flote family, then of the Chauvigny by inheritance in 1431. Occupied by roadmen in 1377, it was transformed into a seigneurial residence in the 15th and 16th centuries via the families of Amboise and La Rochefoucauld. The Renaissance made changes under the Combourcier du Terrail.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the d'Estaing family transformed the fortress into a pleasant castle. Charles Henri Théodat of Estaing, admiral and supporter of the Enlightenment, was born there and preserved naval memories. After his death in 1794, the castle passed to his half sister Lucie Madeleine, mistress of Louis XV, and was sold in 1806. Ranked a historic monument in 1958, it suffered a fire in 2016 destroying 400 m2, without reaching its major decorations.

The castle mixes 13th century medieval dungeon, a room of Gothic states decorated with 49 coats of arms, and classic elements such as the entrance gallery or the music salon. Its gardens, designed by André Le Nôtre, dominate the plain of Limagne and offer a panorama of the Dore Mountains. The Gothic chapel and the 17th century stables complete the whole, while a terrace and a vegetable garden are among the remarkable gardens.

Purchased in 2014 by decorators Joseph Achkar and Michel Charriere, the castle is in restoration after the fire. It houses a collection of 19th-century earthenware, including cartoons by Louis-Philippe I, and souvenirs from Admiral d'Estaing. The site, open to the public, was also used as a setting for the film Les Choristes in 2003.

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