Le château de La Chèze est un château situé dans le département de l'Ardèche en France.
Histoire
Simple tour carré dans les textes au xiiie siècle, il a été agrandi au cours des siècles jusqu'à avoir sa taille actuelle au début du xixe siècle. Le château de La Chèze fut une place-forte protestante au xvie siècle.
Un collège jésuite y est installé durant les années 1830-1850 ; le château est en restauration depuis 1989.
Architecture
Le château de La Chèze est pour sa partie la plus ancienne d'origine Moyenâgeuse. Il a été ensuite remanié à la Renaissance et au début du xxe siècle. L'extérieur, tel qu'il est aujourd'hui, date des xixe – xxe siècles.

Château de La Chèze

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The first record of Rochebonne dates to 1658, when the property was owned by one Jean d’Arquesson, lawyer to Louis XIV, the famous “Sun King” who built Versailles. However, the dove cote and the upper section of the staircase pre-dates this by 30 years or so, so one can safely assume that the original Chateau de Rochebonne was built in around 1628.
Rochebonne changed hands several times till 1738 when it was inherited by the female line of the Saint Collet family, aristrocratic farmers who were based in the Limoges area.
During the French Revolution in 1799 it was burned to the ground, leaving just the staircase and the dove cote, and some of the old red floor tiles, intact.
The owners, now married in to the Machefert-Herve family, were re-housed in a convent in the village. Their daughter, Adele Senne, was born in the Chateau and was a small child at the time of the fire. It was she who, fifty years later in 1848, re-built Rochebonne as we see it today.
The new building is about half the size of the original which stretched as far as the cottage behind the white wall (marked “private”) where the old bread oven and scullery area was. The remains of the bread oven, dating to around 1700, are still there. The old stone sink by the palm tree also dates to that period and was taken from that same scullery area.
The land stretched as far as the river Seudre, to the south, and up beyond the village to the north, 386 hectares strong.
The three-castle coat-of-arms seems to have been introduced at this time.  Castles are the heraldry symbol for this area (Charente Maritime).  We have found no other reasons for the castle symbol, though there may well have been one.  The heraldry symbol for Chateauneuf is three castles, and there was possibly some family link.  We have modernised the symbol for our own use.
Adele Herve moved in along with her daughter and son-in-law, Marie and Christian Roye, and their three children. They re-named themselves Roye de Rochebonne. They occupied the middle floor, the top floor never having been finished. With them they had six or seven servants: a couple of maids, a scullery maid, a manservant and a few stable boys. The household servants would have slept at the hearth in the kitchen. The fields were worked by the villagers; in the village archives are a great number of references, spanning two hundred years, referring to the workers of Rochebonne, sometimes called simply Roche.
Adele died in 1851 and the property passed to her son-in-law, Christian Roye. The Roye family remained the owners of the property till the present English owners, the Broughtons, bought it in 1995. This was at a time when inexpensive property was being snapped up by the British and it has to be recognised that the British did, in many ways, save a lot of our old buildings all over the country.
Country life continued peacefully at Rochebonne, with only the slightest interruption during World War 1, till 1933 when Sebastien Roye, grandson of Christian, died and left the property to his sons, Charles and Ludovic. The two brothers (the de Rochebonne appendage to their name seems to have been discontinued at around this time) did not get on and they promptly split the house in to a pair of semis. The garden was divided in to two, and most of the land was sold off. The existing front door served Ludovic, who owned the eastern half of the house, comprising the front of the hall, (where a 1930 staircase went through what is now the mezzanine), the living room and the rooms over it.
Ludovic died during the war, leaving a heavily pregnant wife and a small son. Destitute and alone, the young Madame Roye closed up and returned to her family in Angouleme. Barely a soul entered her part of Rochebonne for very many years.
Charles’ part of the house was briefly occupied by the Germans during WWII. However, that part of the house was barely used either, serving only as a kind of eccentric holiday house for a few weeks in the summer. Slowly and inexorably fading and crumbling it remained largely empty till 1979 when, unwilling and unable to pay for its upkeep, the Roye family put it on the market. It remained for sale for 19 years !!
The Broughtons undertook a massive task in the saving and renovating of the property, and they have undeniably achieved a great feat of which the village is truly proud. From a long distance passers-by can appreciate the regular structural features of this classic style; the interior is sympathetically arranged to suit the needs of holiday-makers while also retaining its charm. Apart from the addition of the bathrooms and the pool the house remains largely as the 1848 architect intended.
One of the cottages, previously a barn – since taking this photo another window has been opened (in all cottages actually) on the left wall, making the room much lighter. There are proper sofas and arm chairs as well as the wicker ones.
The renovation of the cottages at the Domaine de Rochebonne started several years later. Now forming eight cottages, these were mostly derelict old barns, though the caretaker’s cottage has not changed much. These extensive old buildings help to date the property as vast quantities of easily-dated farm implements and associated items turned up. The oldest section, the remains of a cottage with mullioned window, pre-dates Jean d’Arquesson, and goes back to about 1560. The owners have achieved a remarkable feat in combining practical modern elements with the ancient features. The cottages of Rochebonne, old as they are, may by some be considered to be a little on the dark side, yet this very enigmatic look is precisely what makes them so ideal. Now used for holiday lettings they are among the most sought-after in the area.
http://turquoisemoon.co.uk/blog/the-history-of-rochebonne/

Château de Rochebonne

The Château de Maisonseule is in the town of Saint-Basile in Ardèche. It dominates the Doux Valley. Its roof and facades are registered as historical monuments since 21 March 1983. Maisonseule Castle, built in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and rebuilt in the sixteenth century. Its envelope (façades and roofs) subject to registration as historical monuments since March 21, 19831 It is surrounded by a dry moat. The buildings are set around the courtyard and the tower of Saint Louis is located at the northwest corner. This rectangular keep of 12.60 m 8.20 m comprises the ground floor, a vaulted cellar barrel, three floors with the top floor which was crowned with a crenellated platform, with an outside walkway supported by stone corbels with wooden hoardings were still visible after the Second World War. There remains only one of the four watchtowers. In the fourteenth century were added the north wing, which includes a kitchen, dining and northeast tower, called "turn Oubliettes" and the east wing at right angles, which ends also with a corner tower . pigeon loft In the fifteenth century walls enclose complete the quadrilateral and the castle. In the sixteenth century the castle was transformed into a residence with mullioned windows opening in the dungeon, communication and door construction of a chapel on the first floor of the northeast tower. Then in 1624 the castle was completely redesigned, with construction of the staircase, the current door opening large windows with mullions. The floors are then rebuilt and beams are painted stenciled motifs of roses and lilies. The castle is open to the public in July and August.
http://www.frenchchateau.net/chateaux-of-rhone-alpes/chateau-de-maisonseule.html

Château de Maisonseule

Château des Faugs is located in the town of Boffres, Ardèche (near Valencia in Drôme).Vincent d'Indy spent part of his childhood in Chabret mansion, located near Boffres. He enjoyed the place so much that he decided to make it build a castle. He himself drew the plans of this house of three floors. The first stone was laid in 1883 and Vincent d'Indy lived there since 1890. The castle of Faugs was listed historic monument March 8, 1991.The guards used to stay at the small farm of La Blachette.
http://www.frenchchateau.net/chateaux-of-rhone-alpes/chateau-des-faugs.html

Château des Faugs

Les ruines très bien conservées du château de Boulogne sont situées sur la commune de Saint-Michel-de-Boulogne dans le département de l'Ardèche.
Histoire
L'histoire de ce château est intimement liée à celle de la famille de Lestrange , proche de la cour royale à partir du xive siècle, et le mariage du baron de l' Estrange (catholique) avec Madame de la Tour-Chambaud (protestante) fut à l'origine d'un épisode des guerres de Religion, et se termina par le Siège de Privas par les troupes de Louis XIII.
Architecture
Au xie siècle, seuls un donjon carré et une chapelle existaient. C'est au xive siècle que trois grandes tours rondes et des courtines sont rajoutées pour renforcer l'édifice. Le château est transformé en résidence renaissance au xvie siècle, vers 1550. La Salle des Gardes, les écuries, le grand pont terrasse de l'entrée, le châtelet et son portail renaissance, muni d'une sculpture de la tête de Marie de Langeac, datent de cette époque. Le château est en ruines, mais elles sont régulièrement consolidées.
Monument historique
Les vestiges du château de Boulogne ont été classés aux Monuments historiques, par arrêté du 17 juillet 1915.

Château de Boulogne

Le château de Montivert est un château situé sur la commune de Saint-André-en-Vivarais dans le département de l'Ardèche.
Situation
Le village de Saint-André-en-Vivarais se situe aux confins de la Haute-Loire et de l'Ardèche, en montagne ardéchoise, à 1 070 mètres d'altitude. Le château se trouve au lieu-dit de Montivert.
Histoire
Le premier château, une maison forte composée d'un corps et de deux donjons, aurait été construit au xiiie siècle.
Plusieurs familles s'y succèdent : Les Iserdand, Montaignac, Vire du Liron. Le château connaît alors plusieurs transformations. Au milieu du xviiie siècle, il est de nouveau modifié par Gabrielle Vire du Liron.
Vers 1857, les Lacroix-Laval font construire un nouveau château (le château actuel) avec dépendances, attribué à l'architecte Pierre Martin. L'architecture provient d'une recherche sur le Moyen Âge et la Renaissance. En effet l'édifice est constitué d'un quadrilatère flanqués d'échauguettes, de faux mâchicoulis et de tours rondes. Les bâtiments agricoles ont cependant pu être réalisé par l'architecte Jean-Prosper Bissuel.
Architecture
Le château
Avec son âme du xixe siècle, l'édifice actuel, de style néogothique, est composé d'un corps de logis rectangulaire de plan symétrique flanqué de deux tours en poivrière sur la façade principale, et d'échauguettes sur la façade postérieure. Au centre de l'élévation principale, un avant-corps est aussi orné de deux échauguettes, de faux mâchicoulis et d'un pignon percé d'un œil-de-bœuf. Les sous-sols sont faits de voûte en berceau en briques. La chapelle, au deuxième étage est en voûte d'ogives et conserve son décor du xixe siècle (peintures, lambris, vitraux, culots sculptés…). Les salons du premier étage sont couverts de lambris sculptés, de plafonds à caissons et de papiers peints. Le château comprend un escalier d'honneur intérieur tournant sur trois étages, d'autres escaliers intérieurs droits montant au premier étage, ainsi qu'un escalier extérieur droit lui-aussi, prolongé par une terrasse à garde corps. Les toitures en ardoises à croupes sont percées de lucarnes. Les tours à toit conique porte la même toiture que le bâtiment central.
Dépendances
Le château possède deux dépendances ; une ferme et une conciergerie.
La ferme est en plan en U et comporte un étage et une comble à surcroît. Elle comprend l'étable, les écuries, la grange, le fenil. En son centre se trouve l'habitation. La toiture est en tuiles plates sur les longs pans, les noues et les croupes. À l'arrière se trouve un potager clos.
La conciergerie, de plan symétrique comporte un étage. Le toit est en ardoise à longs pans.
Protections
Le château dans son ensemble, sa ferme et ses communs pour leurs façades et toitures, le potager clôturé, le parc et la serve, les façades et toitures de la loge d'entrée, ainsi que l’ensemble du mur de clôture du domaine, sont inscrits au titre des monuments historiques par arrêté du 12 octobre 2007.