This façade represents a model of late medieval castle architecture. Preceded by a dry moat hewn from the rock, it features thick walls – the curtain walls – flanked by circular towers. Rectangular gun ports and arrow slits reinforce the defenses. The whole structure is surmounted by a parapet walk equipped with machicolations that facilitate the downward firing of projectiles.
Blaise AdilonThe courtyard was built between 1547 and 1556. The harmony of the facades stems from the interplay between horizontal and vertical lines. Like a Roman monument, each level is punctuated by pilasters and half-columns topped with a capital.
These elements, borrowed from the Italian Renaissance, are combined with Gothic influences (window frames) to give birth to a French style.
Au 18e In the 19th century, a house's prestige was measured by the grandeur of its interior staircase. The entire east wing of the château is dedicated to it. An architectural masterpiece, it comprises a central landing opening onto two staircases that lead to the main floor. Restored after the Revolution, the staircase was fitted with a neoclassical stone balustrade.
Blaise Adilon
Blaise AdilonThis large hall bears witness to the changes the castle has undergone since the 16th century.e century. The Renaissance features – fireplace and "French-style" ceiling – are echoed by those of the 18the century – decorations in sculpted plaster (the plasterwork) and windows opening onto the landscape.
The decor was completed in the 19th century.e century by two battle scenes repainted over 16th-century originalse century, as well as a commemorative portrait of François de La Baume (1526-1587) – an important military leader during the Wars of Religion – and in the 20the century by Renaissance-inspired chandeliers.
Located in a Renaissance wing of the castle, the apartment dates from the 17th century.e century. With its three rooms in enfilade – two anterooms and a bedroom – it is emblematic of "French-style apartments". It ends with a study which retains a stucco ceiling from the Louis XIII period.
In the 1745s, the apartment was modernized. The second anteroom became a dining room with rocaille decor, furnished with fixed and functional furniture – a sideboard and refreshing fountains.
Blaise Adilon
Nicolas DoucedameThe park is a wooded hillside of Mediterranean type (oaks and pines). Covering approximately 20 hectares, it is crisscrossed by paths leading to the manor houses: a tennis court, a private chapel, and a dovecote. Documented since the Renaissance, it is known as a garenne, meaning a "walled park planted with coppice" intended for hunting and raising game.
The tennis court was rectangular and open to the sky. Three walls had galleries to shelter the spectators. The playing area was separated by a net, beneath which were the ball basket and the betting area.
Dating from the 1550s, this room coincides with the peak of gambling. This popular pastime, which was played on vast grounds and in rooms called gambling dens, also served to educate young noblemen.
Many castles owned them. A precursor to tennis and squash, this strategic game is still played in France and English-speaking countries. "Tripot" (gambling den), "épater la galerie" (to impress the gallery), "seize the opportunity," "les enfants de la balle" (children of the game), etc. The numerous expressions derived from jeu de paume (real tennis) testify to its great popularity.
Loïc Julien