Château HAUTEFORT (2021) Drawing by Jean-Yves Saint Lezer

Château HAUTEFORT, in graphite pencil drawing on A3 224g/m² paper for a creation measuring 29.5x19.5cm. Contact me for more information.
HAUTEFORT Castle is a French castle, located in the commune of Hautefort, in the Dordogne department.
HISTORY
The castle is located on a rocky spur which dominates the town and the village of Hautefort. Created over a period from the end of the 16th century to the end of the 17th century on the foundations of an old castle, its architecture clearly evokes the castles of the Loire. It is one of the rare classic buildings in the Dordogne.
It was built from the 16th century under the direction of architects Nicolas RAMBOURG then Jacques MAIGRETNOTE, for the Marquis de Hautefort family, close to the king and having important responsibilities at Court. The family is highly appreciated by local people for their generosity towards the poor. The Marquis Jacques-François de Hautefort will have a hospice built in the village in the shape of a Greek cross, in the same architectural style as the castle with its large central dome. During the Revolution, the castle and the family were defended by the inhabitants of Hautefort. A conventional troop from EXCIDEUIL planning to destroy it as a symbol of the feudalism of the Ancien Régime, the inhabitants of the village melt their coppers to make weapons and save their castle from destruction.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the castle had fallen into disrepair, it had lost its furniture, all its woodwork and even its parquet floors. After being bought in 1929 by the Baron and Baroness de BASTARD, it was completely restored and refurnished by the new owners. The baroness continued the work alone after the death of the baron in 1957, and was only able to settle in the castle in 1966, for two years. On August 30, 1968, the central building of the castle was destroyed by fire. All that remains is the deeply charred exterior walls. A surge of national generosity and, above all, that of the surrounding population, very attached to the castle, as well as the support of personalities, pushed the baroness to undertake the reconstruction. It was then restored a second time by Madame de BASTARD who, until her death in 1999, dedicated her entire life to saving the castle, committing her personal fortune and selling her works of art to raise the funds necessary for its reconstruction.
The facades and frames are reconstructed, as well as the ceilings, decorations and rooms which are restored and reproduced identically from photos. The castle is completely refurnished. The woodwork of the KERLAUDY castle, the abandoned Leonese residence of the governor of the Mascarenes, has been recovered. Baroness de BASTARD moved back into the castle in 1977 and opened it to visitors.
In 1984, she created the Château de Hautefort Foundation to which she donated the building and its immense estate, as well as its furniture and all its contents. Today, the part of the interiors which is not open to visitors is still being restored.
French-style gardens, recreated by the Baron and Baroness de Bastard, extend on terraces all around the castle, divided into flowered boxwood embroidery beds. They are classified as historic monuments. An English-style park extends over 30 hectares, on the hill to the west of the castle.