CHATEAU DU BOY

The Château du Boy is mentioned for the first time in 1307, it is then an agricultural domain which the lords of Tournel made their home after the abandonment of the fortress of Chapieu. The castle was fortified in 1369, when companies of mercenaries from the Hundred Years War passed through. Ruined during the Wars of Religion, it was repaired and perhaps enlarged at the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th century. It is from this period that the interior gallery dates. A new expansion campaign was undertaken from 1758 by the Marquis Pierre Charles de Morangiès. We owe him the construction of the main facade and the layout of the gilded lounge, from which most of the painted decoration has disappeared. The castle changed owners several times in the 19th century, the furniture was then dispersed. Around 1920, Senator Louis Bringer gave the enjoyment, then the entire property of the estate to the institution of Providence for the establishment of an orphanage and a preventorium. From 1943, the south wing of the castle was replaced by a solarium. The inner courtyard is a superb example of Renaissance architecture. The ground floor, opened by large semi-circular arches, is surmounted by a first floor punctuated by large windows with stone crossings. These are surmounted by a discontinuous drip edge, is this discontinuity original or the result of a restoration? The castle is usually closed to the public but the Pays d'art et d'histoire Mende et Lot en Gévaudan offers guided tours depending on the program or by reservation. click to find all the castles of the Country of art and history

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