Office de Tourisme du Rhône aux Gorges de l'Ardèche

Castle of the Bosquet

Name: Castle of the Bosquet
Address: Quartier du Bosquet, Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche, 07700, France
Telephone: 04 75 04 66 33
Price range: Free access.

Surprising : You weren't expecting to find a castle during your walk along the river Ardèche.
You'll pass a ancient fortified house, build by the bishop of Viviers on the 16th and transformed by Aiguèze Baroness in a Renaissance residence.

More information

"It’s one of the major curiosities of architecture in the valley of the Rhône and an early example of Renaissance art, as the study published by the Syndicat Mixte des Gorges de l’Ardèche « De la Dent de Rez aux Gorges de l’Ardèche, histoire et environnement d’un territoire » states.
Meant for the summer residence of the bishops of Viviers, the Bosquet was built in the beginning of the 16th century. The building forms a rectangle, flanked by two round towers on each of the four walls with an interior courtyard. The pentagonal tower has kept its original spiral staircase, The west wing contains the main residence. During the Revolution, the domain gets sold and parceled out.
Until the 1960’s and 1970’s, the building has been used as farmhouse and a barn. Still the residence kept his more civil touch and showed much influence of the Italian, typical for early Renaissance architecture. The building is now private property and is enlisted as historical monument since 2003.
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