Château de Flaugergues
Encyclopedia
The Château de Flaugergues is a castle near Montpellier
, Languedoc-Roussillon
, southern France. It is one of many follies
erected by wealthy merchants surrounding the city. The castle preserves antique furniture and collection of Flemish tapestries.
, bought a piece of land and built which henceforth carried his name. It took him 45 years to give the existing house its current appearance. From then on, Flaugergues became an example for the various other follies constructed by wealthy merchants surrounding Montpellier.
In 1811, the Boussairolles family bought the estate, and Charles Joseph de Boussairoles designed the orangerie and the park in English garden
style in 1850. Inherited by generations of nobles, it still gives an idea of the life of the French nobility
in the 17th century.
The château is a Monument historique
since 1986.
The façade is cut in half by a doorway with Doric
pilaster
s, carrying an entablature
with rose sculpted metope
s. The different levels of the house are emphasized by bands, which was fashionable in the 17th century. The large windows give the first level an air of importance, while the back wall of the building is almost blind.
The most striking part of Flaugergues is the interior, with the staircase taking up almost one-third of it. Every floor is served by this staircase with its characteristic hanging key vault
s and forged iron
banisters.
times, vines have been grown on this spot. A descendant of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
now produces the Flaugergues wine. It is part of the Mejanelle, one of the twelve teroirs of the Coteaux du Languedoc AOC
.
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
, southern France. It is one of many follies
Montpellier follies
Surrounding the French city of Montpellier are a number of chateaux, old country mansions or follies, built by wealthy merchants, from the 18th century onwards. Some of them had and still have their own wines. Jean Giral was amongst the architects hired by the merchants.The follies are the visible...
erected by wealthy merchants surrounding the city. The castle preserves antique furniture and collection of Flemish tapestries.
History
The follies in the region were constructed by aristocrats serving the French king. In 1696, Etienne de Flaugergues, member of the Cour des ComptesCour des Comptes
The Court of Audit is a quasi-judicial body of the French government charged with conducting financial and legislative audits of most public institutions and some private institutions, including the central Government, national public corporations, social security agencies , and public services...
, bought a piece of land and built which henceforth carried his name. It took him 45 years to give the existing house its current appearance. From then on, Flaugergues became an example for the various other follies constructed by wealthy merchants surrounding Montpellier.
In 1811, the Boussairolles family bought the estate, and Charles Joseph de Boussairoles designed the orangerie and the park in English garden
English garden
The English garden, also called English landscape park , is a style of Landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The...
style in 1850. Inherited by generations of nobles, it still gives an idea of the life of the French nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
in the 17th century.
The château is a Monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
since 1986.
Architecture
It is not so much the building itself as the use that is made of the area surrounding it that makes Flaugergues interesting architecturally speaking. The architect is not known, but it is certain that there have been multiple people working on the estate between 1696 and 1730. Much use is made of the difference in terrain level, creating separate spaces within the garden and making the mansion look grander than it in fact is.The façade is cut in half by a doorway with Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s, carrying an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with rose sculpted metope
Metope (architecture)
In classical architecture, a metope is a rectangular architectural element that fills the space between two triglyphs in a Doric frieze, which is a decorative band of alternating triglyphs and metopes above the architrave of a building of the Doric order...
s. The different levels of the house are emphasized by bands, which was fashionable in the 17th century. The large windows give the first level an air of importance, while the back wall of the building is almost blind.
The most striking part of Flaugergues is the interior, with the staircase taking up almost one-third of it. Every floor is served by this staircase with its characteristic hanging key vault
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
s and forged iron
Finery forge
Iron tapped from the blast furnace is pig iron, and contains significant amounts of carbon and silicon. To produce malleable wrought iron, it needs to undergo a further process. In the early modern period, this was carried out in a finery forge....
banisters.
Wine
Since RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times, vines have been grown on this spot. A descendant of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
now produces the Flaugergues wine. It is part of the Mejanelle, one of the twelve teroirs of the Coteaux du Languedoc AOC
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
.