Château de Fontariol (Allier)

Fontariol is a small Bourbonnais knight’s château from the end of the Middle Ages, modest, rustic and authentic. The transformations it underwent in the 18th century were minor, unlike most houses of this style and from the same period. Together with the 18th-century agricultural buildings that surround it, it forms an entirely enclosed ensemble representative of a small Bourbon stronghold. It was likely built between 1450 and 1550. Different noble families inhabited the château before the Revolution. Part of the manor was transformed at the end of the 18th century and was inherited by Charles de Biotieres de Chassincourt, Marquis de Tilly and Brigadier General des Armies of the King under Louis XVI.

In the 19th century the château became a farm, jointly owned by two families, which included a deputy from Allier in 1837. These two families kept Fontariol as a farm until the end of the 1960s. In 1987, the estate was in ruins and subject of a decree of peril, before being bought and saved from ruin.

This now-preserved rural estate offers several cultural activities organized at the château such as concerts, theater productions, and an open-air cinema in the lower courtyard. A Cultural Association was created in 2018 to further develop these activities.

The 15th-century wing of the manor house, including masonry, carpentry, the wooden frame and the roof.

$15,000

FHS Chicago and New York Chapters

2023