A bit of History...
The castle of Sauveboeuf would date from the middle of the XIVth century. It then became the property of the De Ferrières family, vassal of the lords of Montignac. At that time, the castle must have been a country stronghold whose vocation was to protect Montignac. Over the centuries, and until the middle of the 18th century, the De Ferrières family developed within the French nobility.
In 1743, the estate became the property of Victor Riquetti, Marquis de Mirabeau, father of the famous French revolutionary, and belonged to the family for about sixty years. During the 19th century, the building belonged successively to the Chassagnac Latrade, Dehÿs and Baillemont families. In 1891, the Oberkampf family, famous in particular thanks to its canvas factory in Jouy-en-Josas, acquired Sauveboeuf and carried out major renovations there. The Oberkampf family sold the castle in 1927.
The castle will become an agricultural estate until 1975, notably with the Gengen family, then will be left abandoned until the purchase, in 1987, by the Douce family.
Sauvebœuf castle can be visited since April 2013.
The wealth of the castle...
The Château de Sauveboeuf is built in the Louis XIII style and has a Renaissance terrace overlooking the Vézère river, which alone is worth the detour.
The vast rooms of this illustrious residence feature period furniture, a monumental white stone staircase, and a cabinet of curiosities whose diverse collections, belonging to the owner, Mr. Douce, are fascinating.
The Château de Sauveboeuf's 14th-century vaulted cellars house a veritable treasure trove: one of the world's largest private collections of prehistoric artifacts.
This incredible array of tools, jewelry, and rare trinkets forms the world's foremost collection of prehistoric artifacts. It is valued by prehistory professionals and studied by researchers and curators from Europe, Beijing, and New York.
It provides insight into human evolution and our great ability to adapt to the external environment, highlighting innovations in everyday tools, materials used, and aesthetic ideas.
From Erectus to the beginnings of the Neolithic period, you can discover the evolution of man through different prisms: his environment, his innovations, and his conflicts. Nearly 500,000 pieces, including mammoth ivory ornaments over 20,000 years old and the complete skeleton of a bear dating from the Middle Paleolithic period.
There are also 3,200 collections of prehistoric tools and archaeological artifacts.
The museum houses an important collection dating from the dawn of prehistory to the Second Empire under Napoleon III.
The collections include some exceptional pieces: Gravette points, small Venus figurines, a rock crystal hammer, eyed needles, musical instruments and early engravings, the elegant snow partridges that inspired Picasso, and a necklace of engraved deer teeth (milk teeth).
Given that a deer only produces two in its entire lifetime, one can imagine how many deer were needed for this necklace! It is nicknamed the diamond necklace of prehistory.
Yves Coppens, the famous French paleontologist and paleoanthropologist, honorary professor at the Collège de France, highlighted the quality of this exhibition. The real purpose of this collection is “to learn and restore,” according to Claude Douce, the current owner of Sauveboeuf and, above all, a passionate enthusiast of archaeology, prehistory, and human interaction.
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Sauvebœuf Castle
24290 Aubas
Tel. 05 53 51 89 46 and 06 25 17 80 62
chateau.de.sauveboeuf@gmail.com
https://www.chateaudesauveboeuf.fr/
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