The Château de Chavaniac aka Chateau Lafayette is a fortified

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

of eighteen rooms furnished in the

Louis XIII style The Louis XIII style or ''Louis Treize'' was a fashion in French art and architecture, especially affecting the visual and decorative arts. Its distinctness as a period in the history of French art has much to do with the Regent, regency under w ...

located in

Chavaniac-Lafayette Chavaniac-Lafayette (; Occitan: Chavanhac de La Faieta) is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France. The Château de Chavaniac, located in the commune, was the birthplace of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette in 1757. ...

Haute-Loire Haute-Loire (; oc, Naut Léger or ''Naut Leir''; English: Upper Loire) is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Named after the Loire River, it is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche ...

, in

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Flanked by two towers of black stone, it was built in the 14th century and was the birthplace of

General Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

in 1757. In 1916, a group of wealthy

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

s led by Scottish-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

industrialist John C. Moffat purchased the castle to serve as a center of philanthropy for people affected by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Following the war he renovated it completely to preserve documents and objects relating to General Lafayette. The Château de Chavaniac is now a museum open to the public.

History

The Château de Chavaniac was constructed in the 14th century. It was partially destroyed by a fire in 1701.

was born here in 1757. He was married in 1774 to Adrienne de Noailles. They had four children together: Henriette, who died at a young age, Anastasie, Georges and Virginie who lived in the castle. A hero of the

and

French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

s, he was rejected by the French revolutionaries when he voted against the death of

King Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

. With the fall of the monarchy, he tried to flee to the United States through the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

. He was captured by Austrians and was made prisoner by Austria at the fortress of Olmutz. He was considered a traitor for not saving the life of

Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and ...

, an Austrian by birth, and the king. Lafayette returned to France in 1797. The château was restored to Lafayette in 1791 but sold by the

French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

when Lafayette fled the country. His aunt later bought the château. In December 1916, a group of philanthropists led by John C. Moffat, and including

William A. Chanler William Astor "Willie" Chanler (June 11, 1867 – March 4, 1934) was an American soldier, explorer, and politician who served as U.S. Representative from New York. He was a son of John Winthrop Chanler. After spending several years exploring East ...

Joseph Choate Joseph Hodges Choate (January 24, 1832 – May 14, 1917) was an American lawyer and diplomat. Choate was associated with many of the most famous litigations in American legal history, including the Kansas prohibition cases, the Chinese exclusi ...

Clarence Mackay Clarence Hungerford Mackay (; April 17, 1874 – November 12, 1938) was an American financier. He was chairman of the board of the Postal Telegraph and Cable Corporation and president of the Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company. Early life He ...

George von Lengerke Meyer George von Lengerke Meyer (June 24, 1858 – March 9, 1918) was a Massachusetts businessman and politician who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, as United States ambassador to Italy and Russia, as United States Postmaster Gener ...

John Grier Hibben John Grier Hibben (April 19, 1861 – May 16, 1933) was a Presbyterian minister, a philosopher, and educator. He served as president of Princeton University from 1912–1932, succeeding Woodrow Wilson and implementing many of the reform ...

, and

Nicholas Murray Butler Nicholas Murray Butler () was an American philosopher, diplomat, and educator. Butler was president of Columbia University, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the deceased Ja ...

, purchased the château for the French Heroes Lafayette Memorial FundLafayette Memorial: French Heroes Lafayette Memorial Fund
/ref> which was managed by Chanler's estranged wife Beatrice Ashley Chanler.Thomas, Lately. ''The Astor Orphans: A Pride of Lions'', W. Morrow, 1971. Parts of the château were used as a school, an orphanage and a hospitalLafayette Preventorium
/ref> (known as the Lafayette

Preventorium A preventorium was an institution or building for patients infected with tuberculosis who did not yet have an active form of the disease. Popular in the early 20th century, preventoria were designed to isolate these patients from uninfected indivi ...

) until 1920, supported by funds from 150,000 donors. During the post-war period, the château was extensively renovated and furnished with memorabilia from Lafayette and other period pieces. The roof was redone, foundations were stabilized, a tower was rebuilt and the south wing was built in the rear with a square tower. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the château was used as a secret hiding place for Jewish children. John Moffat died in 1966 and was buried with his wife on the grounds of château. The Lafayette Memorial Association Inc. took over management of the château. The museum was renovated in the 1990s with the sponsorship of Merck Sharp Chemical Co. In 2007 the Lafayette Preventorium became a separate institute, the Institut thérapeutique, éducatif et pédagogique. In 2009, the

Conseil Général The departmental councils ( French: ''conseils départementaux''; singular, ''conseil départemental'') of France are representative assemblies elected by universal suffrage in 98 of the country's 101 departments. Prior to the 2015 French depa ...

de la

took over management of the château and repaired the roof. The French and American flags fly permanently over the château in honor of the key role Lafayette played in the French and American revolutions.

Architecture

The Château de Chavaniac framed by two towers of black rock from Auvergne was constructed in the 14th century. The château and the interior decoration were listed as historic monuments by France on August 21, 1989. Château de Chavaniac In the entrance one finds a great staircase, a gallery with painted

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s, a

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

dining room, and a guardroom. The first floor has a grand salon, a library, and the family's bedrooms. The second floor has a

great hall A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages, and continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great ...

and the master bedroom with a bathroom and a

sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

. The Franco-American friendship room is found on the fourth floor.

References

External links

Château de Chavaniac official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavaniac, Chateau de Castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Museums in Haute-Loire Biographical museums in France Châteaux in Haute-Loire Gardens in Haute-Loire Historic house museums in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Monuments historiques of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Maisons des Illustres

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links