Château de Ravel
Encyclopedia
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Ravel
Ravel, Puy-de-Dôme
Ravel is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*...
, in the département of Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the centre of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme.Inhabitants were called Puydedomois until December 2005...
, France.
The castle of Revel was begun by Bernard de Revel, noted in 1171. Purchased by Philip III of France
Philip III of France
Philip III , called the Bold , was the King of France, succeeding his father, Louis IX, and reigning from 1270 to 1285. He was a member of the House of Capet.-Biography:...
in 1283, it was given by Philip IV
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
to his future chancellor, Pierre Flotte
Pierre Flotte
Pierre Flote or Pierre Flotte was a French legalist, Chancellor and Keeper of the Seals of Philip IV the Fair....
. It passed by marriage and inheritance to the d'Estaing
D'Estaing family
The d'Estaing family is one of the most notable noble families of the Rouergue and Auvergne regions of France. They originated from Estaing, in the modern Aveyron département where their châtelain has been traced to the start of the 11th century....
family, by the marriage of the heiress Marie Comborcier du Terrail with her cousin Jean d'Estaing, 1647. The interiors were renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The present structure dates from a number of periods. The origins of the site date back to 1147, though the existing buildings are 13th century or later. The eastern walls and towers date back to feudal times. The main courtyard is from the 17th century and the western wing from the 18th. The terrace, overlooking the Limagne
Limagne
The Limagne is large plain in the Auvergne region of France in the valley of the Allier river, on the edge of the Massif Central. It lies entirely within the département of Puy de Dôme...
countryside and the chain of volcanic hills - the Chaîne des Puys
Chaîne des Puys
The Chaîne des Puys is a north-south oriented chain of cinder cones, lava domes, and maars in the Massif Central of France. The chain is about 40 km long, and the identified volcanic features include 48 cinder cones, eight lava domes, and 15 maars and explosion craters. Its highest point is...
- was laid out as a parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
in the 17th century.
The castle is regarded as an interesting example of how a medieval castle was converted into a stately home. The 18th century apartments were built without destroying the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
framework or the courtyard façade with its ancient towers. Inside, the same care was taken to include Gothic styles with newer, particularly the chapel and the castle's masterpiece, the Salle des Etats. Among the additions worthy of note are the staircase and entrance hall, the dining room, the great gallery and the music room.
The interior has much original furniture. Visitors may see the genealogy room (d'Estaing family portraits), the Salle des Etats with its terracotta tiled floor depicting coats-of-arms, the music room (panelling decorated with musical instruments) and the gold room (beamed ceiling, four-poster bed and Aubusson
Aubusson, Creuse
Aubusson is a commune in the Creuse department in the Limousin region in central France.-Geography:...
tapestries. The great gallery has mementoes of Admiral d'Estaing
Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing was a French general, and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the British during the Seven Years' War...
, including a scale model of his ship, painting of naval battles and navigation instruments.
Privately-owned, the Château de Ravel is listed as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture
The castle was used as a location for the 2004 French film Les Choristes
Les Choristes
The Chorus is a 2004 French drama film directed by Christophe Barratier. Co-written by Barratier and Philippe Lopes-Curval, it is an adaptation of the 1945 film A Cage of Nightingales , which in turn was adapted by Noël-Noël and René Wheeler from a story by Wheeler and Georges Chaperot.Widely...
, directed by Christophe Barratier.
External links
Sources
- Green Guide: Auvergne, Rhône Valley, Michelin plc, 1995, p226 ISBN 2-06-130401-X
- www.culture.gouv.fr, accessed 6 Feb 2007
- Reportage History (French)