Château d'Assier

The Assier Castle (French Château d' Assier ) is a French castle ruins in the department of Lot in the north of the Midi -Pyrénées region. It is located in Assier place in the cultural landscape of the Quercy.

Until 1535 Jacques Ricard de Gourdon de Genouillac called Galiot de Genouillac, built the castle was one of the masterpieces of the early French Renaissance and at the same time the most important Renaissance building in the Quercy. Brantome called it the most magnificent and best-equipped House of France ( la maison superb plus [ ... ] la mieux meublée [ ... ] de France) The building is since 1934 owned by the French State and is classified as a monument historique since September 2, 1901.

In the only remaining wing of the castle is now a small museum is housed, which can be every day except Tuesdays and in July and August visited in the period from September to June every day of the week for consideration. In the courtyard also sometimes art exhibitions and music events.

History

Assier was in the first half of the 15th century in the possession of the de Bosc family (also Bosq ). Through marriage of the heiress Catherine with a native of the lower nobility Jean de Genouillac Assier came in 1469 at his family. Catherine's son Jacques made ​​at the French royal court a brilliant career and become one of the highest dignitaries of France. He was a favorite of Charles VIII and held under him the post of grand equerry of the Dauphin (French grand écuyer du Dauphin ). From his paternal uncle he inherited in 1512 during the reign of Louis XII. the office of Grand Master of the Royal Artillery French maître d'Artillerie du roi, which he also under Francis I held. This also appointed him in 1517 to the Seneschal of Quercy, before he entrusted him in 1526 with the office of grand equerry of France and took him into the Order of Michael. Other items that Jacques Ricard de Genouillac should hold during his life, were Lieutenant général in the Guyenne and from 1546 the governor of Languedoc. Through his numerous offices at the court Galiot de Genouillac had early accumulated a decent fortune. Therefore, he thought from about 1523, or perhaps since his appointment to the Seneschal of Quercy in 1517, because of his mother inherited, old castle - called Tour du Sal - to replace it with a new building that was his superior level appropriate. After the partial demolition of his birthplace Jacques de Genouillac left in the same place according to plans of architect Nicolas Bachelier of Toulouse to 1535 a castle in the Renaissance style building, the new buildings of Francis I in the Bois de Boulogne ( Palace of Madrid) and inspired in Fontainbleau was. Parts of the laid down earlier building were taken here in the new building. However, because of his many court offices and the resulting obligations of the builder himself stayed only briefly in his new home; he died in 1546 Végennes castle in Limousin.

Jacques daughter Jeanne - his son François was already fallen in 1544 at one of the many military campaigns of Francis I. - married Charles de Crussol, vicomte d' Uzes. Thus, the Seigneurie Assier its castle came to the then Vice counts and later Dukes of Uzès. However they had no use for the building, and the castle remained uninhabited for a long time. Lack of maintenance of the building, it had come down to François Emmanuel de Crussol eventually sold three of the four ruinous castle, meanwhile wing on May 22, 1768 for 14,000 livres on Cancel to builders. This happened even though Prosper Mérimée had added to the list of Monuments historiques in his capacity as inspector of monuments historiques de France, the castle in 1841. Only the west wing remained excluded from the sale, since it was used for agricultural purposes. This sold François Emmanuel de Crussol on October 18, 1786, together with the lands belonging to the castle for 6000 livres to Jean -Gabriel Murat de Montaigne.

In 1901 took place the first conservation measures in the buildings still visible. Here, the west wing was given a new roof to protect the masonry from further water damage. Since 1934, the building is owned by the French State. It was restored and opened to the public.

Architecture

Main building

Castle Assier until his partial demolition of a closed, four-winged Renaissance system with round corner towers, which had domed roofs. The wing of the castle surrounding a rectangular courtyard, whose long side was 40 meters long. Ensuring that the system followed in their basic design or the late medieval castle type, in which the defense aspects towards social and residential aspects were the focus. On the other side of the castle already had some architectural elements that were typical of the Renaissance, such as transverse and cross Stock windows and galleries. An Italian garden south of the building was completed by the system. Assier was therefore a good example of the taste of the time, the transition from Gothic to Renaissance.

Main living wing (room ) with the stately apartments was the eastern wing of the building. There was also a small side entrance, which was reached by a postern in the enclosure next to the Jeu de Paume. The adjoining the Logis Northeast tower housed a chapel, while there were a large ballroom and more living rooms in the south wing. A corridor linking these southern castle section with an upstream semicircular latrines with a diameter of six meters.

The two floors of the north wing were formed of two superimposed galleries, of which the lower open, which was closed on the first floor, however, and a vaulted ceiling possessed. The gallery on the ground floor measured 36 × 4.60 meters and had five pillars supported by arcades. From it still exists, the outer wall where the approaches of its vaulted ceiling can be seen.

The only original largely preserved part of the castle is the seven -meter deep west wing, which easily abknickendes gabled roof resting on Konsolsteinen. The up to nine feet thick masonry of its two separated by simple cornices projectiles was plastered sooner and presents itself externally in very simple forms. In addition to a still unchanged, preserved dormer window with a bust in their triangular pediment field the only elaborately designed component is the former main entrance in the middle of the wing. The input is, as in the time quite common, divided in two: There is both a closable passage for carriages and a small side door for visitors of the lower classes. The round-arched entrance is flanked by two Corinthian columns. In addition there is a niche with Ionic columns on either side, in which formerly an equestrian statue Galiot de Genouillacs was, which was destroyed during the French Revolution. About two-sided columns Doric pilasters start carrying a cornice and a final triangular gable above a round arch. At both ends of the west wing are two round towers, and between the north-western tower and the wing of the building is not completely preserved gapes a several -meter-wide gap. The southwest tower - according to his former position in the 18th century Archivturm (French tour of the archives ) called - is still in good condition and is terminated by a conical roof. He has a connection to the ruins of a south -standing defense tower with horseshoe-shaped floor plan, the cannon tower (French tour à canon ) is referred to me.

By equipped with cross vaults gate entrance leads into the courtyard of the castle. By 2012, he was surrounded by tall metal structures, which marked the positions of the courtyard side of the window laid down wing of the castle.

The façade facing the courtyard of the obtained west wing is much richer decorated as the outside. In two intricately designed friezes of limestone are found motifs such as sword, cannon, sword-belt and harness as well as the chain of the Order of Michael, but also reliefs depicting the deeds of Heracles, reminiscent of the successful career of the builder. The same military motifs are also found in the outer frieze of 1540 initiated Saint-Pierre church in the center of Assier, which was also built by Galiot de Genouillac. Above the portal there is a supported by four Corinthian columns balcony with a balustrade Haustein rich in relief. Two Ionic columns supporting its roof. At this loggia is found in 1954 rediscovered during repair work year 1535, which tells of the end of the construction work on the castle. In the fields between the windows of the upper floor were found earlier, surrounded by pilasters and festoons - relief portraits of Roman emperors on terracotta medallions from the workshop of Girolamo Della Robbia. From them only get a spot, four more are now in the Louvre and one in London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

A small door on the stone coat of arms emblazoned Jacques Ricard de Gourdon de Genouillacs, visitors reach the staircase of the resulting wing. The stairs belonged at the time to the " new style " that is, she was not a spiral staircase, as was common in the Middle Ages, but just had runs. On the ground floor is a small museum with found remains of the sculptural decoration of the castle and an exhibition is housed at Galiot de Genouillac in a large hall with pointed arches. The undestroyed plant had three stairwells of this kind, where the two were no longer greater than that obtained in the entrance wing. In addition, the upper floors were reached by two stair towers in the courtyard. The staircase has similarly elaborate carved decorations such as the courtyard façade. In addition, you will also find in many spelling variations, the currency of the owner J'aime fort'une, which can be read in two ways: as " I especially love a " (French J'aime une continues ) and thus as a declaration of love to a woman or as an allusion to his love of wealth ( J'aime fortune).

From the furniture that was scattered through sales to the four winds in the 18th kJahrhundert, and the once glorious interiors only testifies to a to be seen in the museum door with wood inlays, showing the chain of the St. Michael Order and the crest Galiot de Genouillacs.

Outbuilding

At the castle were various outbuildings, some of which are still preserved today. This includes a residence for staff ( 44 ° 40 ' 31 " N, 1 ° 52 ' 48" O44.67540137251.8799844383333 ), which was used in later times as a barn and is called Grange de Bargues, and a dovecote (44 ° 40 ' 43 " N, 1 ° 52 ' 53 " O44.6787314619441.8812987208333 ), which is the largest in the Quercy, with its 2300 Nistlöchern. Both buildings date from the 16th century and were also recognized as a monument historique. More still in existence, belonging to the castle buildings are elongated stables at the eastern access road (44 ° 40 ' 28 " N, 1 ° 52' 38 " O44.6745468855561.8770983813889 ), the former slaughterhouse and an old water mill (44 ° 40 '30 " N, 1 ° 52 ' 46 " O44.6750504238891.8794479966667 ), which is also a listed building. The former blacksmith - called Marinet - 1839 was indeed still available, but now is gone. Also the north of the main building located Jeu de Paume is no longer maintained.