The Château de Bouges is an 18th-century mansion in the town of

Bouges-le-Château Bouges-le-Château () is a commune in the Indre department in central France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and ...

, in the

Indre Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...

'' département'' of France, in the Loire Valley. It is classified 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 ...

'' and the gardens are listed by the Ministry of Culture as among the

Notable Gardens of France The Remarkable Gardens of France is intended to be a list and description, by region, of the more than three hundred gardens classified as ''"Jardins remarquables"'' by the Ministry of Culture (France), Ministry of Culture and the Comi ...

. The château and gardens are open to the public.

History

The château was built in 1765, probably by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, on lands acquired by Charles-François Leblanc de Manarval, the master of the royal forges and the director of the royal manufacturer of cloth in Châteauroux. The château was modeled after the Petit Trianon at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

. In 1818, the château became the property of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, the former foreign minister of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. Talleyrand put it at the disposition of his niece and, according to rumours, his one-time mistress,

Dorothée de Courlande Dorothea von Biron, Princess of Courland, Duchess of Dino, Duchess of Talleyrand and Duchess of Sagan, known as Dorothée de Courlande or Dorothée de Dino (21 August 1793 – 19 September 1862), was a Baltic German noblewoman, and the ruling Du ...

(1793-1862), who held successively the titles of Comtesse Edmond de Périgord (1809), Duchesse de Dino (1817), Duchesse de Talleyrand (1838) and finally Duchesse de Sagan (1845). She was also owner from 1828 à 1847 of the

Château de Rochecotte The Château de Rochecotte is a late 18th-century château located in the French village of Saint-Patrice, near Langeais, in Indre-et-Loire. It is known for its various owners and their many successive rebuilds. The parent of one of its owners ...

at Saint-Patrice. Then chateau was purchased by Tunisian general Mahmoud Benaiad. In 1917, the château was purchased by Henry Viguier and his wife, Renée Normant, who restored it, decorated and refurnished it. Viguier was the président-directeur-général of the Paris department store Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville. In addition to the château, he owned a Paris town house on the avenue Foch, a manor house in Houlgate and a villa in Grasse. The Viguiers, who had no children, left the house and its furniture to the French state in 1968. The château and the park were location scenes in the film '' Le Colonel Chabert'' with

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

and Fanny Ardant. The château has a park of eighty hectares, which include a landscape garden, an arboretum, a floral garden created in 1920, large greenhouses, and a formal French garden. It also includes large stables which were later used as garages by the last owners.

References

External links

Château de Bouges
Centre des Monuments Nationaux

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouges, Chateau De Châteaux of the Loire Valley Châteaux in Indre Gardens in Indre Historic house museums in Centre-Val de Loire Museums in Indre Monuments historiques of Centre-Val de Loire Monuments of the Centre des monuments nationaux