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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  4. Gironde
  5. 33240 Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière

  6. Château de La Roque

Château de La Roque à Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière en Gironde

Gironde

Château de La Roque

    4 La Roque
    33240 Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière
Photo de Château de La Roque

Timeline

Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1639
Acquisition by Henri du Mas
2e moitié XVIIIe siècle
Garden facilities
1874-1876
Aborted project by Henri Duphot
vers 1888
Transformation by Alphonse Blaquière
28 septembre 2006
Registration of the castle
25 juillet 2007
Classification of gardens
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The castle with its commons and outbuildings; gardens, with the exception of the cladding parts (cf. A 82-84, 87, 89, 92, 668, 669, 671-683): registration by order of 28 September 2006 - Gardens, including wooded plots, including terraces, hydraulic networks and amenities, the orangery pavilion and the gazebo (see Box). A 89 675 : pool and water gardens; 679 : low house terrace; 92, 669, 673, 672, 678: castle terraces; 87, 677: intermediate terraces; 681 : 18th century or peristyle lookout; 683: 18th century pavilion or orangery; 682: 19th century water castle; 81-84, 87, 676, 667: wooded parts; 668, 671, 674: aisle): classification by stop of 25 July 2007

Key figures

Henri du Mas - Advocate at the Parliament of Bordeaux Acquire the estate in 1639.
Henri Duphot - Architect Project a castle (1874-1876, unbuilt).
Alphonse Blaquière - Architect Transform the castle around 1888.
Etienne Laclotte - Architect Associated with the work (undetailed role).

Origin and history

The castle of La Roque is located on the site of a medieval fortress, acquired in 1639 by Henri du Mas, lawyer at the Parliament of Bordeaux. From this time on, the estate combines wine-growing and stone quarries, with buildings organized in U housing and common. Traces of this period remain in the agricultural and residential structure of the site, although subsequent changes have profoundly altered its appearance.

During the second half of the 18th century, the estate was renovated with terraced gardens, a gazebo and a water garden, reflecting the influence of landscape models of the period. These developments, still visible today, demonstrate an aesthetic and functional will, integrating the natural landscape of the Dordogne. The terraces, hydraulic networks and pavilions (such as orangery) date from this pivotal period.

The end of the 19th century marked a phase of architectural and landscape modernization. Between 1874 and 1876, architect Henri Duphot proposed plans for a new castle, never realized. Alphonse Blaquière, on the other hand, completed the transformation of the buildings into a neoclassical L-shaped complex around 1888, with colonnade galleries and pavilions. A castle is erected, and the park is redesigned to open on the Dordogne in the south and on the gardens in the east. This work is part of a context of valorisation of Bordeaux wine estates, combining architectural prestige and agricultural functionality.

Heritage protections took place in the 21st century: gardens (including terraces, gazebo and orangery) were classified in 2007, while the castle and its outbuildings were listed in 2006. These measures highlight the historical and landscape value of the site, preserving both the remains of the 18th and 19th centuries and their integration into a remarkable natural environment.

The estate thus illustrates the evolution of a medieval site into a residential and wine-growing complex, marked by the architectural and landscape influences of the Enlightenment and the industrial bourgeoisie of the Second Empire. Architects Duphot, Blaquière and Laclotte left their mark, mixing heritage and innovation.

External links

Page Monumentum