Le Château de Champagnat
Gîtes/Meublés de Tourisme, near Vichy, central France
Stylish accommodation for up to 10 guests in peaceful parkland setting
Hello
Your hosts, Kim & Alex, originally from the UK, and having lived in the beauitiful Swiss Riviera for many years where we renovated our traditional old Swiss farm house and brought up our children. Our path has brought us to this beautiful corner of France to enjoy an active retirement, renovating and maintaining our lovely old "maison-forte" and meeting our wonderful guests who come to stay with us, all of which has been a rich and rewarding experience.
We first saw Champagnat in January 2020. It was a cold, sunny, crispy day, the frost glittered in the tree-lined grounds and we fell in love with it, even before seeing inside. Last renovated in the 1970s, we saw its potential immediately and set off with our heads full of plans for its future and were very excited about the prospect! Today you can see the result of (most of!) those plans, which we hope you will enjoy.
We would love to welcome you!
Welcome to our own little corner of France! We would love to welcome you and greet you. The Château and its grounds offer a wonderful, peaceful haven, where you can relax, walk or picnic in the park, kick back and soak up the sun by the pool or chill in the hot tub, and go exploring our beautiful Auvergne region which has something for everyone.
Whether you visit the close-by historic spa town of Vichy (UNESCO) where you can enjoy a treatment at the thermal spa, dine by the riverside or in one of the Michelin Starred restaurants, take a boat across to Bellerive, pedal the abundant cycle paths, promenade in the beautiful leafy green parks, sample the mineral waters at their sources in the Parc des Sources or Celastins, play a round of golf, enjoy the thrill of horse racing at the Hippodrome, or admire the Art Deco and Napoleonic archictecture, not forgetting a visit to the theatre or the casino - or venture further afield to explore Clermont-Ferrand, Le Puy de Dome with its cog-wheel railway and it's ancient surrounding villages, or visit La Pal Adventure Parc, the medieval town of Moulins, or Street Art City - there are myriad visits, activities and events in the area - we are on hand to help make your stay enjoyable and unforgettable :)
Ideal for parties attending one of the many sporting events such as IRONMAN in August, the Triathlon in July, the Tour de France (departing town on 15 July 2026), or cutural events such as the Fête de Napoleon in June, or simply to just come and relax :)
A bit of history...
Built in the 14th Century and remodelled in the 18th Century, we are enjoying being the current guardians of our "maison-forte" which originally boasted a fortified entrance, was surrounded by a moat and had several outbuildings, including a second tower, which sadly no longer exist today. It is first mentioned in the departmental archives of Puy-de-Dôme in 1330 by Etienne Bada de Cuciaco.
According to the publication "Les Fiefs du Bourbonnais" published in 1896, it's believed that the Château was named after the local fief at the time of construction. The first Lord of Champagnat we can be sure of, who lived at the beginning of the 16th Century, was Jacques de Saint-Iryer, a Squire married to demoiselle Antoinette Gabard, whose daughter, Catherine, married Squire Jacques de Ménessier in 1543 in the parish of Gouise, and who subsequently inherited all the Gabard property. Jacques was succeeded by Jean de Saint-Irier, husband to Delphine des Ecures, and Jean was succeeded by his daughter, Catherine, who in 1576 married Jean de Viry, Lord of the Forest of Linerolles.
Unfortunately after this date, there is a gap of more than a half a century and only in 1655 we have a new Lord of Champagnat, one Pierre Guérin, the Lord of Chermont's brother and husband of demoiselle Diane Allemand, the Lord of Quinsat's daughter.
Pierre Guérin left a son, Claude, who died in Paris in 1706 and in his will dated May 23 1705, left all his property to the hospital at Cusset. Not wanting, nor being able to take care of the property left to them by their generous donor, the administrators of Cusset hospital converted the major part in to rental property, a decision that nearly ruined the hospital, which led to Champagnat being sold to Mr Joseph de la Chaise, Lord of Usseau from the parish of Creuzier le Vieux - notes are conflicting here as we find mention on December 14, 1736 that Antoine Gilbert de la Chaize, parish priest of Cusset gave the land and château to his nephew Jacques de la Chaize, the Lord of Ursseau. More research required!
Jacques de la Chaise, after his daughter Marie's marriage to Jean-Louis de Pons, lived at Champagnat. On February 11, 1760 Marie de la Chaise d'Ursseau, daughter of Jacques, passed Champagnat to her husband and Jean Louis is mentioned in the archives on January 30, 1782.
More recent history to come after a visit to the archives...
Contact
We'd love to hear from you
Email, WhatsApp, SMS or by phone...
+33 (0)6 13 57 88 82