The Château de Billy is a ruined 13th – 14th century
castle in the town of
Billy in the
Allier ''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...
'' of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
History
For the first several centuries of its existence, the Château de Billy was the property of its builders, the
Bourbons. The fortified town of Billy and the province of
Bourbonnais
Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins.
History
The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...
were part of the domain of the lordship of the Bourbons. Both the castle and the lordship remained powerful until the
French revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
(1789).
Architecture
The main fortification has an ovoid layout with a hexagonal watchtower which dominates the houses of the town and the medieval streets that curve around the walls of the castle. An imposing
châtelet guards the entrance. The southern
curtain wall has a walkway that offers a splendid panorama of the
Allier valley.
The castle is privately owned and open to the public. It has been listed since 1921 as a ''
monument historique'' by the
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...
.
See also
*
List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Region and Department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or vine ...
References
External links
*
Route Chateaux Auvergne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billy, chateau de
Castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Monuments historiques of Allier