Domaine du château de Clauzuroux
CastleHidden Treasure
Domaine du château de Clauzuroux, located in Cherval (Dordogne), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Cherval, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.4097, 0.3558
- Mérimée Reference
- PA24000039
Nestling in the bocage of the Périgord, the Clauzuroux estate boasts the discreet elegance of a country chateau shaped over the centuries, with its dry moat, Carthusian monastery and wooded parkland typical of the Périgord Vert region.
History
In the heart of the commune of Cherval, in the Périgord Vert region, the Château de Clauzuroux estate is set in a landscape of gentle hedged farmland, lazy rivers and tiled-roofed villages that the Dordogne has managed to preserve from major modern transformations. Far from the signposted itineraries of the Périgord Noir and its medieval fortresses besieged by tourists, Clauzuroux offers a completely different experience: that of a lowland castle, discreet and inhabited, which has stood the test of time without seeking to impress but cultivating a quiet dignity. What makes the estate so special is precisely this combination of architectural modesty and overall coherence. The main building, in the tradition of the Chartreuses of the Périgord region, stretches the length of the estate, in dialogue with its agricultural outbuildings - barns, dovecote, outbuildings - reminding us that these noble homes were first and foremost centres for working the land. The parklands, planted with century-old oak and lime trees, envelop the property in a timeless atmosphere where the seasons seem to pass more slowly than elsewhere. The experience of visiting the Clauzuroux estate is above all sensory and contemplative. The shady driveways, the pale limestone facades cut by the shadows cast by the old-fashioned shutters, the tranquillity of an estate set back from the main roads - everything contributes to an immersion in the rural France of the Ancien Régime, as it continued until the 19th century without any major break. For lovers of rural heritage and authentic landscapes, Clauzuroux is an invaluable stop-off on an itinerary devoted to the Périgord Vert, a region that is often forgotten in favour of its more publicised neighbours, but which boasts a remarkable density of jealously preserved small family châteaux, manor houses and noble dwellings.
Architecture
Château de Clauzuroux is in the tradition of Périgord chartreuses, an architectural style typical of south-western France that favours an elongated rectangular floor plan, rarely more than two storeys high over a ground floor, with wings set at right angles to each other and delimiting a main courtyard opening onto the parklands or farmlands. The facades, built of blond Périgord limestone - a local stone that is easy to cut and looks warm in the autumn sunshine - are punctuated by mullioned or transomed windows depending on the phase of construction, and topped with a four-sloped roof covered in Roman tiles, an essential signature of rural architecture in the South-West. The most characteristic features include a slightly raised central main building, flanked by pavilions with independent roofs, and served by an external stone staircase or a terrace with balustrade. The dovecote, a prestigious feature of Périgord noble estates - only the lords had the right to a dovecote under the Ancien Régime - is probably one of the estate's most remarkable architectural features, standing apart from the outbuildings with its pepperbox or bell tower roof. The farm outbuildings - barns, stables, sheds - organised around a farmyard bear witness to the estate's original vocation as a farming centre. The ensemble forms a coherent architectural microcosm, where the golden limestone dominates, the grey-blue or almond-green painted joinery reflects the colour codes of the Périgord region, and the wooded parklands, planted with lime trees and hundred-year-old oaks, envelop the whole in a green setting characteristic of the Périgord Vert region.
Related Figures
Familles de petite noblesse périgourdine (XVe-XVIIIe siècle), premiers seigneurs du domainePropriétaires bourgeois du XIXe siècle, restaurateurs du logis et du parcSeigneurs locaux de Cherval, impliqués dans la vie paroissiale et agricole du bourgNotaires et hommes de robe du Périgord blanc, possibles acquéreurs révolutionnairesFamilles terrariennes du Périgord vert, garantes de la continuité du domaine au XXe siècle
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Domaine du château de Clauzuroux located?
Domaine du château de Clauzuroux is located in Cherval, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Domaine du château de Clauzuroux built?
Domaine du château de Clauzuroux dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Domaine du château de Clauzuroux open to visitors?
Domaine du château de Clauzuroux is currently closed to visitors.