The Château de Billy is a ruined 13th – 14th century
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the town of
Billy
Billy may refer to:
* Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name)
Animals
* Billy (dog), a dog breed
* Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945
* Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge
* Billy, a youn ...
in the
Allier
Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...
''
département'' of
France.
History
For the first several centuries of its existence, the Château de Billy was the property of its builders, the
Bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by ...
s. The fortified town of Billy and the province of
Bourbonnais were part of the domain of the lordship of the Bourbons. Both the castle and the lordship remained powerful until the
French revolution (1789).
Architecture
The main fortification has an ovoid layout with a hexagonal watchtower which dominates the houses of the town and the medieval streets that curve around the walls of the castle. An imposing
châtelet guards the entrance. The southern
curtain wall has a walkway that offers a splendid panorama of the
Allier
Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...
valley.
The castle is privately owned and open to the public. It has been listed since 1921 as a ''
monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'' by the
French Ministry of Culture.
See also
*
List of castles in France
References
External links
*
Route Chateaux Auvergne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billy, chateau de
Castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Monuments historiques of Allier