Château des Jaubertes
CastleHidden Treasure
Château des Jaubertes, located in Saint-Pardon-de-Conques (Gironde), 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
- Saint-Pardon-de-Conques, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.5607, -0.1943
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083794
Sixteenth-century Girondine fortress, les Jaubertes conceals an unexpected treasure: a billiard room adorned with painted Cordovan leathers depicting the dazzling masks of the Comédie italienne.
History
Nestling in the Entre-deux-Mers vineyards, Château des Jaubertes stands out as one of the most distinctive examples of Gironde seigneurial architecture from the Renaissance. Its irregular squared plan, punctuated by towers with contrasting silhouettes - round, hexagonal, rectangular - tells the story of the vicissitudes of a residence shaped by wars, passions and successive reconstructions. What makes this castle truly unique is the coexistence of defensive architecture inherited from the late Middle Ages and completely unexpected decorative refinements. The hexagonal tower, with its three superimposed windows adorned with curved gables and moulded pinnacles, reveals a flamboyant Gothic sensibility that contrasts with the overall robustness of the building. Inside, the billiard room is a stunning surprise: its walls are entirely covered in painted Cordoba leather, set in bespoke cedar panelling depicting the colourful characters of the Commedia dell'arte. The experience of visiting Les Jaubertes is one of gradual discovery. From the outside, the castle imposes its austere silhouette, marked by the scars of history - fires, dismantled towers. Then, as they enter the interiors, visitors are plunged into a world of Baroque fantasy: Harlequin, Columbine and their companions twirl against a backdrop of floral garlands, in warm, precious colours that the centuries have barely tarnished. The surrounding parkland is home to a dovecote with semi-circular pedimented dormers, an aristocratic building par excellence, a reminder of the eminent status that the lords of Jaubertes wished to display throughout the ages. The hedged farmland and vineyards of Saint-Pardon-de-Conques add to the serenity of the place, far from the mass tourist circuits, offering heritage lovers an intimate and memorable stopover.
Architecture
The Château des Jaubertes has an angled plan comprising two large buildings, a common feature of French seigneurial architecture during the Renaissance, which enabled residential and utility functions to be organised around a partial courtyard area. Several towers with deliberately varied geometries were added to this basic structure: a rectangular tower to the north-east housing the chapel, a hexagonal tower in the inner east corner, a third rectangular tower to the south-east, and a round tower at the southern end of the west facade, forming a symmetrical forecourt. This fragmented composition, far from being anarchic, bears witness to a pragmatic architecture adapted to successive alterations. The most remarkable feature of the exterior elevation is undoubtedly the hexagonal tower. Its three tiers of superimposed windows, crowned by moulded spandrels with pinnacles decorated with curly cabbages, belong to the late flamboyant Gothic repertoire, a tradition that was still alive and well in the Bordeaux region at the beginning of the 16th century, while the Italian Renaissance was taking hold elsewhere. This stylised plant decoration gives the tower an almost ecclesiastical elegance. Inside, the billiard room is the jewel of the building. Cordoba leather - a technique combining embossed leather, gilding and painting - covers the walls in finely carved cedar panelling. The scenes depicted feature the iconic figures of the Commedia dell'arte, framed by garlands of flowers in a cameo of ochre, carmine and gold, dating from around 1720. To the east of the château, the dovecote with its dormer windows and semi-circular pediments completes the ensemble with the elegance typical of the region's aristocratic outbuildings.
Related Figures
Seigneurs de Castets — famille ou lignage à l'origine probable du démembrement ayant créé la seigneurie des JaubertesPropriétaire anonyme de 1513 — premier seigneur documenté des Jaubertes, mentionné dans le bail à fief fondateurCapitaines huguenots — officiers protestants responsables du premier incendie du château durant les guerres de ReligionFrondeurs bordelais — partisans de la Fronde ayant incendié partiellement le château vers 1650Propriétaire du début du XVIIIe siècle — commanditaire de l'aménagement de la salle de billard et acquéreur des cuirs de Cordoue provenant du château Saint-Jean
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château des Jaubertes located?
Château des Jaubertes is located in Saint-Pardon-de-Conques, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Château des Jaubertes built?
Château des Jaubertes dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château des Jaubertes open to visitors?
Château des Jaubertes is currently closed to visitors.