The Château de Bonneval is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the '' commune'' of Coussac-Bonneval in the

Haute-Vienne Haute-Vienne (; , ; Upper Vienne) is a département in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve départements that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The prefecture an ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' of France. It is notable for belonging to the same family since its construction, including Claude-Alexandre de Bonneval (1675-1747), who was given the title of

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

after his conversion to Islam and his service with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

History

A fortress has existed here since at least , as is shown by a stone bearing that date in the masonry of the entrance tower. The castle in its present state dates from the 14th century, probably constructed by Jean I, seigneur of Bonneval. It underwent modifications in the 18th and 19th centuries; the southwest façade between the two corner towers dates to 1780. The castle underwent a restoration in 1771-72 under the direction of the architect Broussaud, and another in 1900, in the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

courtyard. There is also an old legend about the devil who turned at the gates of the chateau one night in the guise of a vagabond lord but was exposed.

Description

The castle is built on a quadrangular plan, with corner towers with

machicolation In architecture, a machicolation () is an opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement through which defenders could target attackers who had reached the base of the defensive wall. A smaller related structure that only protects key ...

s and pepperpot roofs. The château is furnished with pieces from between the

and

Directoire The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory governed the French First Republ ...

periods. It has portraits of and documents about Claude-Alexandre de Bonneval. Among its furnishings are

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to han ...

from Aubusson and

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

. The castle is privately owned. It has been listed since 1960 as a ''

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 collection of buildings, ...

'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

. Guided tours of the Château de Bonneval are available from late-June to mid-September, and on various dates in May.Visit & Pricing
Château de Bonneval

References

External links

Official website
*
Interview with Marta de Bonneval, the owner of Chateau de Bonneval
- on Castlesandfamilies {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonneval, Chateau de Castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Monuments historiques of Haute-Vienne

History

Description

See also

References

External links