Construction of the villa 1879 (≈ 1879)
Order of Mr. Ruaud, factory manager.
1904
Sale to widow Fontanille
Sale to widow Fontanille 1904 (≈ 1904)
First change of owner.
1906
Acquisition by Mr. Pavy
Acquisition by Mr. Pavy 1906 (≈ 1906)
Add the south tower.
1er avril 2021
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 1er avril 2021 (≈ 2021)
Villa protection, park and outbuildings.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The villa Saint-Roch in total, the facades and roofs of the caretaker's house and its outbuildings, the park with its factory elements as well as the driveway of Saint-Roch, located on parcels n°8 to 13, appearing in the cadastre section AX, as represented in red on the annexed plan: inscription by order of 1 April 2021
Key figures
M. Ruaud - Initial sponsor
Director of porcelain factory.
M. Pavy - Owner (from 1906)
Mayor of the 15th arrondissement of Paris.
Origin and history
Villa Saint-Roch was built in 1879 for Mr. Ruaud, director of the porcelain factory of Ambazac, reflecting the local industrial development. The estate, surrounded by a stone wall of 2 meters, includes a guard house with dovecote, orchards in staircases, and an irrigation system fed by springs. Its park, divided into terraces, combines utility (fishery, cressonneries) and amenities (belvedere-glacière, music kiosk, tennis court). The property changed hands in 1904 (widow Fontanille), then in 1906 with Mr Pavy, a Parisian mayor whose wife was from Saint-Priest-Taurion, who added a southern tower and enriched the landscape.
The park, conceived as a romantic setting, multiplies the factories: cave-belvedere overlooking the railway, English river crossed by two bridges (deck and rock), circular basin with artificial island populated by carp, or pagoda near a lake. The successive owners cultivate remarkable species and decorative elements (barcs, mushrooms in rock, carved tables). The estate, including farm and land, illustrates the taste of the era for picturesque gardens mixing nature and artifice, while serving as a secondary residence to an industrial and political elite.
Listed as a Historic Monument in 2021, the villa and its park (aisle of Saint-Roch, house of the caretaker, factory elements) are protected for their representativeness of 19th-century garden art in Limousin. The site, although partially accessible, retains traces of its past use: cooler, laundry, or rotunda for vehicles. Its history reflects the social dynamics of the period, between local heritage (porcelain d'Ambazac) and national networks of influence (Paris Mayor).
