Château des Barres

Built in 1783 by Claude-Étienne Chaillou des Barres, auditor at the Conseil d’État and later a prefect under the Empire, the Château des Barres is a refined late 18th-century residence. With its chapel, remarkable library tower, and park designed by Louis-Martin Berthault and later restructured by Achille Duchêne, it embodies both Enlightenment architecture and the great French garden tradition.

Site History

The château was built for Claude-Étienne Chaillou des Barres, who married Marguerite Nicole Nompère de Champagny, daughter of Napoleon’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Duc de Cadore. Retiring to the château after his prefecture, Chaillou became a historian of Yonne’s castles, writing works still cited today.

In the 19th century, the estate passed by marriage to the Kergorlay family. The house was enlarged with a west wing and the remarkable circular library tower, which houses collections including 18th-century encyclopedias and 19th-century original editions. The chapel was decorated with grisaille murals, restored with the prix Mollier from the Vieilles maisons françaises. The estate’s gardens were originally laid out by Louis-Martin Berthault, landscape architect for Empress Joséphine at Malmaison and Compiègne, then redesigned by Achille Duchêne in the 19th century.

Protected as a historic monument since 1997, the château has been in the same family since 1874. Today, it is owned by Charles de Couëssin.

About the Project

The roofs of the west wing and library tower are in critical condition, with missing or broken slates, rusted hooks, failing zinc work, degraded chimneys and water infiltration that risks new infestations of dry rot. The project will fully restore the coverings, rebuild the chimneys and reproduce the distinctive oeils-de-boeuf.

This work follows earlier campaigns, encompassing restoration of the chapel roof in 2015, grisaille paintings in 2019–2021 and the central corps de logis roof in 2020. In 2010, the château underwent a conversion to renewable heat.

Château des Barres Today

Open for guided visits since 2005, the château sees about 500 visitors annually. It hosts outings of the Vieilles maisons françaises, concerts, theater performances, fashion shoots and seasonal rentals. It also partners with local tourism offices and wine tour operators.

In addition to heritage visits, the estate offers creative residencies and workshops in music, painting, yoga, gardening, cooking and photography, strengthening its cultural and economic role in the Puisaye-Forterre region.