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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château du Chassan, located in Faverolles in the Cantal, replaces an old medieval castle demolished in the 18th century by Jean-François de Ponsonnailles de Grisols (1785). The latter had the stones and furniture of the old castle transported to erect the present building, composed of a central five-span body and two square wings forming a court of honour. The architect Bellenaud incorporated a neo-classical vocabulary, with a posterior façade opening onto French-style beds. The construction, completed in 1784, preserves original interior decorations, such as panels, tapestries of Felletin and wooden chimneys.

The castle was owned by the family of Ponsonnailles de Grisols since the 14th century, with notable figures such as Antoine de Ponsonnailles, veteran of the American War of Independence and first councillor general of the canton under Louis XVIII. In 1843 Hyppolite de Ponsonnailles, the last heir, bequeathed the estate to his 16-year-old cousin Alfred Triniac and his cousin Philomène Loussert, hoping for their marriage. Alfred finally bought Philomena's share and the Triniac family owned the castle for four generations, before he passed to the Bosquillon families of Jenlis and Fontant by alliance.

Filed with the additional inventory of historical monuments in 1992, the castle houses collections reflecting its history: tapestries, family portraits, ancient agricultural tools, and an exhibition of fossils and minerals. The protected elements include the fence walls, the gate, French-style beds, as well as interior rooms such as the large living room with tapestries or the panelled dining room. The site is visited from July to August, and by appointment from April to October.

The archives of Chassan date back to 1335, testifying to its anchoring in local history. Among the notable members of the Ponsonnailles family, Guyot (Lord in the 16th century) married Charlotte d'Acchier, while Raymond-Joseph, in the 17th century, married Françoise de Montvallat. The castle thus illustrates the evolution of a medieval seigneury into an aristocratic residence of the Enlightenment, preserving furniture and decorations of the era.

The architecture of Chassan is distinguished by its central staircase with wooden ramp, its enfilade rooms, and its antechamber with panels surmounted by tapestries. The French garden, with pool and terraces, completes this classic set, rare in the Cantal. The Triniac family, then the Bosquillons of Jenlis and Fontant, perpetuated its heritage until today, while opening the monument to the public for visits and cultural events.

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