Château de Chavaniac
Encyclopedia
The Château de Chavaniac is a fortified manor house
of eighteen rooms furnished in the Louis XIII style
located in Chavaniac-Lafayette
, Haute-Loire
, in Auvergne
, France
.
Flanked by two towers of black stone, it was built in the 14th century and was the birth place of General Lafayette in 1757.
In 1917, American
industrialist John Moffat purchased the castle and renovated it completely to preserve documents and objects relating to General Lafayette.
The Château de Chavaniac is now a museum open to the public.
In 1917, John Moffat, a industrialist purchased the château for the association of Friends of Lafayette and furnished the château with memorabilia from Lafayette and other period pieces. After the death of John Moffat in 1966, the Friends of Lafayette took over management of the château. In 2009, the Conseil Général de la Haute-Loire 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.
In the entrance one finds a great staircase, a gallery with painted murals, a Louis XIII 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 and the master bedroom with a bathroom and a sauna. The room of the friendship franco-american is found on the fourth floor.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of eighteen rooms furnished in the Louis XIII style
Louis XIII style
The Louis XIII style or Louis Treize was a fashion in French art and architecture, especially effecting the visual and decorative arts. Its distinctness as a period in the history of French art has much to do with the regency under which Louis XIII began his reign...
located in Chavaniac-Lafayette
Chavaniac-Lafayette
Chavaniac-Lafayette is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.The Château de Chavaniac, located in the commune, was the birth place of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette in 1757.-See also:...
, Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire is a department in south-central France named after the Loire River.-History:Haute-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, in Auvergne
Auvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Flanked by two towers of black stone, it was built in the 14th century and was the birth place of General Lafayette in 1757.
In 1917, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
industrialist John Moffat purchased the castle and 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. The General Lafayette 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 American and French revolutions, he was rejected by the French revolutionnaries when he voted against the death of the king. With the fall of the monarchy, he tried to flee to the United States through the Dutch Republic. 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, 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 Republic when Lafayette fled the country. His aunt bought the château.In 1917, John Moffat, a industrialist purchased the château for the association of Friends of Lafayette and furnished the château with memorabilia from Lafayette and other period pieces. After the death of John Moffat in 1966, the Friends of Lafayette took over management of the château. In 2009, the Conseil Général de la Haute-Loire 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 a historic monuments by France in August 21, 1989.In the entrance one finds a great staircase, a gallery with painted murals, a Louis XIII 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 and the master bedroom with a bathroom and a sauna. The room of the friendship franco-american is found on the fourth floor.