Château de Fournils
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de Fournils, located in Saint-Laurent-des-Hommes;Beaupouyet (Dordogne), is a castle. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Location
- Saint-Laurent-des-Hommes;Beaupouyet, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.0251, 0.2896
- Mérimée Reference
- PA24000100
Built between 1858 and 1860 in the heart of the Périgord region, Château de Fournils combines Second Empire elegance with a rare wine-making vocation, producing a wine using the Champagne method - an absolute rarity in the Dordogne.
History
Nestling on the edge of the Périgord Blanc region, at the gateway to the Isle-Dronne double valley, Château de Fournils stands with aristocratic discretion on the lands of Saint-Laurent-des-Hommes and Beaupouyet. Built between 1858 and 1860 during the splendour of the Second Empire, it embodies the wave of architectural renewal that transformed the French countryside under Napoleon III, when landowners and the provincial bourgeoisie vied with each other in their ambition to build homes that were both comfortable and representative of their rank. What really sets Fournils apart from its Périgord peers is the remarkable coherence of an estate conceived as a living whole. The château is more than just a residence: it is the heart of an agricultural and viticultural complex, the centrepiece of which is the production of wine using the Champagne method - an oenological curiosity as rare as it is seductive for a region whose reputation as a wine-growing region is better known for its still reds. This Champagne vocation speaks of the ambition and originality of spirit that have characterised the estate's owners for over a century. The outbuildings of the old château - the one that preceded the current building, of which no trace remains in elevation - have been carefully preserved and converted, bearing witness to a precious historical continuity. Some of them now house members of the owner family, making Fournils a truly inhabited estate, vibrant with a family life that gives it an authenticity rare in the French heritage landscape. For heritage lovers, a visit to Fournils offers the unique experience of a listed château that has stood the test of time without ever losing its soul: second home, war memorial, daring wine estate. The surrounding grounds, typical of 19th-century landscaping in Périgord, invite you to take a stroll through the foliage and blonde stone outbuildings.
Architecture
Château de Fournils is part of the neo-classical and eclectic trend that characterised residential architecture in the third quarter of the 19th century, a fertile period when wealthy patrons drew freely on the repertoire of historical styles to create homes that were both comfortable and representative. Built between 1858 and 1860, the building most likely bears the hallmarks of the Périgord Second Empire château de plaisance: a rectangular, two-storey main building with a basement, flanked by pavilion-roofed corner pavilions, all built of blonde limestone quarried locally to give the buildings of the Périgord Blanc their characteristic luminosity. The steeply pitched roofs, probably covered with slate in accordance with the custom of the time for ambitious residences, crown an ensemble of balanced proportions. The composition of the facades, typical of this period of transition between neo-classicism and eclecticism, probably combines regular bays of windows with moulded surrounds, a central porch emphasised by a pediment or a slight projection, and a double-flight stoop overlooking the parklands. The interior was to feature the rational layout typical of Second Empire bourgeois châteaux: a succession of reception rooms on the ground floor, private flats upstairs, with the hallways and pantries relegated to the wings. The outbuildings that have survived from the former château provide a valuable architectural counterpoint: built in a more sober, functional style, they illustrate the rural and agricultural architecture of Périgord, with their massive volumes, thick walls and canal tile roofs. Together, they form an architectural dialogue between two eras, officially recognised as worthy of being passed on to future generations when they were listed as Historic Monuments in 2022.
Related Figures
Propriétaire bâtisseur du château actuel (vers 1858-1860), commanditaire inconnu ayant choisi de reconstruire entièrement la demeure sous le Second EmpireFamille propriétaire depuis 1913, gardienne du domaine sur plus d'un siècle et initiatrice de la production viticole en méthode champenoiseSoldats de la Grande Guerre soignés à Fournils (1914-1918), dont la présence a marqué durablement la mémoire du domaine
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de Fournils located?
Château de Fournils is located in Saint-Laurent-des-Hommes;Beaupouyet, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Château de Fournils open to visitors?
Château de Fournils is currently closed to visitors.