Château de Jean
Encyclopedia
The Château de Jean is a French château
built on the site of an older castle
in the commune
of Villariès
in the Haute-Garonne
département of France.
About 1559, the De Jean family acquired the castle which was destroyed in 1570 during the Wars of Religion
. The current château was built with a defensive character on the site of the old castle at the beginning of the 17th century, then largely remodelled in the 18th century to make a comfortable residence. The rebuilding was done by Jean De Jean, Procureur to the Seneschal
of Toulouse
in 1604. The major part of the current structure was his work, carried out after 1621, including the fish pond mentioned on several occasions in the texts.
In 1754, the castle was bought by a rich trader, Jean Toulza, who proceeded to make many alterations and extensions: terrace, installing windows in the facades, side wings and cellar, interior decoration (plaster work going back to 1787).
The Château de Jean comprises:
The 17th century building is constructed on vaulted cellars. In front of it to the south is a terrace laid out in the 18th century. The four corner towers are vaulted on the ground floor. It is probable that all window places in the southern facade, as well as in the higher parts of the château, were made by Jean Toulza in the 18th century. The interior decoration also dates from this period, most notably the beautiful plasterwork in the "Salon des Arts Libéraux et du Négoce" (“Liberal Arts and Trade Salon”) on the first floor. The rear facades were improved. In the extension to the east common a chapel was built by Jean Toulza who is buried there. It comprises a gracious interior pediment in plasterwork representing musician angels.
Privately owned, the Château de Jean has been listed since 1998 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
built on the site of an older castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Villariès
Villariès
Villariès is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Population:-Sights:The Château de Jean is a château built on the site of an older castle and listed since 1998 as a historic site by the French Ministry of Culture....
in the Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The...
département of France.
About 1559, the De Jean family acquired the castle which was destroyed in 1570 during the Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
. The current château was built with a defensive character on the site of the old castle at the beginning of the 17th century, then largely remodelled in the 18th century to make a comfortable residence. The rebuilding was done by Jean De Jean, Procureur to the Seneschal
Seneschal
A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1604. The major part of the current structure was his work, carried out after 1621, including the fish pond mentioned on several occasions in the texts.
In 1754, the castle was bought by a rich trader, Jean Toulza, who proceeded to make many alterations and extensions: terrace, installing windows in the facades, side wings and cellar, interior decoration (plaster work going back to 1787).
The Château de Jean comprises:
- a central rectangular residence confined by four corbelCorbelIn architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
led towers equipped at the base with defensive murder-holeMurder-holeA murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could fire, throw or pour harmful substances, such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime, tar, or boiling oil, down on attackers. They also allowed water to...
s - two symmetrical side wings of common buildings
- the old chapel, at the end of the north wing
The 17th century building is constructed on vaulted cellars. In front of it to the south is a terrace laid out in the 18th century. The four corner towers are vaulted on the ground floor. It is probable that all window places in the southern facade, as well as in the higher parts of the château, were made by Jean Toulza in the 18th century. The interior decoration also dates from this period, most notably the beautiful plasterwork in the "Salon des Arts Libéraux et du Négoce" (“Liberal Arts and Trade Salon”) on the first floor. The rear facades were improved. In the extension to the east common a chapel was built by Jean Toulza who is buried there. It comprises a gracious interior pediment in plasterwork representing musician angels.
Privately owned, the Château de Jean has been listed since 1998 as 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...
by the French Ministry of Culture.
External links
Source
- www.culture.gouv.fr, accessed 17 March 2008