Construction of the castle fin des années 1780 (≈ 1780)
Construction of the original house in the late 18th century.
1870-1880
Work to improve the field
Work to improve the field 1870-1880 (≈ 1875)
Creation reserve, stables, orangery and park.
1889
Construction of the hydraulic network
Construction of the hydraulic network 1889 (≈ 1889)
Implemented by Biot, Dutheil and Cie.
années 1960-1970
Partial abandonment of the garden
Partial abandonment of the garden années 1960-1970 (≈ 1965)
Processing into a farm.
13 août 2012
Monument protection
Monument protection 13 août 2012 (≈ 2012)
Inclusion of key items in the inventory.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The facades and roofs of the buildings of the castle, namely: the house (C 37); the building called "Orangery" (Box C 39); stables (Case C 47, 48); the cottage of the manager (Box C 33); the buildings of the reserve (Box C 26, 27, 606-609); the fence wall bordering departmental road No. 72 and the pillars of portals located on parcels C 47, 49, 35, 605, 611, 610, 601, 606, 27, 26); the English river (Box C 13); the hydraulic network, with the soil of the parcels of settlement corresponding to the park of the castle located on parcels C 39, 40, 605, 603, 604, 609, 601, 610, 611, 49; the mother-fontaine and ground of parcel AC 161 (Roussac); the hydraulic system located on plots C 61, 66, 65, 214, 213, 212, 211, 208, 540, 201, 202, 196, 195, 279, 280, 281 (Saint-Junien-les-Combes) and AC 166, 164, 143, 144, 145, 162, 169, 161, 149 (Roussac): registration by order of 13 August 2012
Key figures
Henri Nivet Jeune - Landscape architect
Manufacturer of the castle mixed park.
Biot, Dutheil et Cie - Hydraulic engineers
Creators of the hydraulic network in 1889.
Origin and history
The castle of Sannat was built in the late 1780s, marking its origin in the last quarter of the 18th century. This monument, located in Saint-Junien-les-Combes, embodies the aristocratic residential architecture of that time, with a central home and outbuildings organized around a structured estate. The first traces of its existence reflect the tastes and needs of a rural elite seeking comfort and social representation.
From the 1870s to the 1880s, the castle underwent a major phase of transformation under the impetus of new owners. These include the creation of a reserve in the south, the construction of communes (eastern and orange stables in the west), and the development of a complex hydraulic system in 1889. This system, designed by engineers Biot, Dutheil and Cie, includes a mother-fontaine, aqueducts, 18 glances, and three wells that are connected by an underground gallery. A reservoir, located in the old vegetable garden, supplies water to the castle, the reserve and an ornamental basin.
The castle park, entrusted to landscape architect Henri Nivet Jeune, illustrates a stylistic transition between the landscaped garden and the return to the regular garden. The mixed garden combines irregular curves around the castle, placed in the center, and a regular grass floor with an ornamental basin in the axis of the south-west facade. This project reflects the aesthetic influences of the 19th century, where nature and geometry coexist to create a harmonious setting.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the landscape garden was gradually abandoned in favour of an agricultural holding, marking an evolution in the use of the estate. Despite this transformation, the castle and its outbuildings retain protected elements such as facades, roofs, commons, hydraulics, and the English river. These protections, formalized by an order of 13 August 2012, underline the heritage value of the site.
The castle of Sannat thus bears witness to centuries of history, from its initial construction to its adaptation to the needs and tastes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Its architecture, landscape and hydraulic system make it a remarkable example of the French rural heritage, combining utility, aesthetics and technical innovation.
