Château Jumilhac is located on the outskirts of the Dordogne and the Limousin, overlooking the ancient gold way between Châlus and Saint-Yrieix (where more than a ton of gold was mined each year until 2001). In 1579, Antoine Chapelle, a rich master of forges, bought a half of the domain and acquired the otherhalf by marriage. He rebuilt the castle that was a ruin and turned it into the jewel covering it with extravagant roofs crowned with amazing ridge tops. He also supported his suzerain, Henri d'Albret, in his quest for the throne of France. When the latter became King of France, he thanked Antoine by raising him to the rank of Count of Jumilhac in 1581. It was only in 2000, however, that one of his heirs discovered the alchemical symbolism of these roofs as an evidence that his ancestor had embarked on the quest for the Philosophical Stone and had devoted himself to alchemical transmutation...
Restored nearly a century ago, the 27 m high roofs have suffered from recent severe weather. Their state of decay requires a major repair work : - slates have dropped, - some elements of the ridge tiles have come off, some of the lead fenials are disfigured and – the chimneys (render, top stones, ... ) are disjointed and some elements are sometimes found in the courtyard which is opened to the public and on the road that runs alongside the chateau.
A petal of the thistle melted by lightning
The broken handle and guard of the sword of ‘Justice’
The summit stones from the chimney of the Henry IV tower are unsealed
The total cost for refurbishing the roofs amounts to 100 000 €
The breakdown of the total costs is as follows :
- 6 000€ for the monitoring of the right wing roofs - 6 000 per right wing chimney replacement, or 30 000€ in total
- 40 000 € for the recovery of the roofs of the old castle
- 7 000€ for the wrought iron gate (4 m x 2m 80)
- 10 000€ for restoring the finnials and ridge decorations
Minimum objective of phase 1 :
- 10 000 €, which will account for restoring the ridge tiles and finnials.
If this objective is reached:
- Phase 2: 10 000 €, which will help in financing the Renaissance roofs of the old castle.
- Phase 3: 10 500€ a most helpful help as above
Château Jumilhac is a private monument, which has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1922. It was sold out of the family for a century and was repurchased by the Marquis of Jumilhac in 1927 in a most pitiful state, for his only son who tragically disappeared in the first week of WW2. One of his sisters bravely took over and it is now the third generation of the Jumilhac family who has taken reponsibility for it. The château was firdt opened to the public in 1964 with the redesigned French gardens in 1995 . The halls and rooms have been partially restored to their former glory and the left wing was fully refurbished in 2002 to host receptions, concerts, seminars … But there still is a lot to be done.
The works should be carried out during the 2019-2020 winter with the agreement of the Bâtiments de France and the Heritage Society of Nouvelle Aquitaine.
This major refurbishment project received an American "French Heritage Society" award in June 2019 for its exceptional historical and architectural character.
- by making an online donation by credit card on this page after registration on the Dartagnans website
- by making a bank transfer after registration on the Dartagnans website
- by sending a french cheque,with your e-mail address on the back of it, to ‘Château Jumilhac’ and send it to the following address:
Dartagnans
Campaign {SOS Jumilhac Castle Roofs}
15 rue de Milan
75009 PARIS
Press release : article de Sud-Ouest :
Institutional and/or private support:
- Drac Nouvelle Aquitaine
- l'Association Vieilles Maisons Françaises
To all of you, Heritage Lovers, a great and very sincere THANK YOU for your altruism and generosity which is such a help and encouragement to continue this work of restoration that three generations have being working on to bring back Château Jumilhac to its former splendor and glory,
E-mail contact : [email protected]
Liens réseaux sociaux : Facebook château de Jumilhac
Site internet : www.chateaudejumilhac.com
