Château de Bouvées
Encyclopedia
The Château de Bouvées is a ruined castle
in the commune
of Labrihe
in the Gers
département of France.
The castle was built between 1530 and 1560 by Monseigneur de Saint-Julien, bishop of Aire-sur-Adour, on the ruins of an earlier structure. At the time of the French Revolution
, it was sold as a national asset.
The building consisted of three wings enclosing an inner courtyard, flanked in the corners by round towers. Only the east and south parts remain, the agricultural buildings attached to the ancient walls reproducing the earlier layout. Of the towers, all that remain are that in the south-east and traces of the south-west. The pigeon loft was built on the base of a tower. A demolished wall near the chapel reveals the former gatehouse which led into the courtyard. The chapel still has sculptures and two mullioned windows decorated with mouldings. Attached is a round tower standing on a base with four floors. A vaulted cellar gave surveillance of the surrounding area by spy holes. Inside are 15th and 18th century chimneys, earthenware paving, beamed ceilings and visible joists
The castle is privately owned. It has been listed since 1990 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
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 Labrihe
Labrihe
Labrihe is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:...
in the Gers
Gers
The Gers is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in the southwest of France named after the Gers River.Inhabitants are called les Gersois or Gersoises.-History:...
département of France.
The castle was built between 1530 and 1560 by Monseigneur de Saint-Julien, bishop of Aire-sur-Adour, on the ruins of an earlier structure. At the time of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, it was sold as a national asset.
The building consisted of three wings enclosing an inner courtyard, flanked in the corners by round towers. Only the east and south parts remain, the agricultural buildings attached to the ancient walls reproducing the earlier layout. Of the towers, all that remain are that in the south-east and traces of the south-west. The pigeon loft was built on the base of a tower. A demolished wall near the chapel reveals the former gatehouse which led into the courtyard. The chapel still has sculptures and two mullioned windows decorated with mouldings. Attached is a round tower standing on a base with four floors. A vaulted cellar gave surveillance of the surrounding area by spy holes. Inside are 15th and 18th century chimneys, earthenware paving, beamed ceilings and visible joists
The castle is privately owned. It has been listed since 1990 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.