If the origins of the castle of Fiches remain unknown, we know that it belonged at the end of the XVI° century to Jean de Roubert, adviser to the Parliament of Toulouse then bought in the XVIII° century, by Joseph Fauré, lawyer in Pamiers . Since then it has remained in the same family. Erected in the heart of a 50 hectare estate, this large building, located 1.5 km from Verniolle in Ariège, houses a marvel, a superb bestiary dated from the 16th century which takes place on the painted ceilings, and presents a total of nearly 70 animals.
Lion, elephant, camel, monkey... mammals, birds, exotic, fantastic, marine animals and even a mermaid follow one another on the panels.
The kitchen, which has remained intact for several centuries, has kept all its charm and time seems to have stopped there.
An ancient library also bears witness to daily life in the past.
The 15th century wooden staircase leading to the living room and the ceiling are listed in the Inventory of Historic Monuments, as are the facades and roofs.
The antique herbarium at Château de Fiches
The Château de Fiches houses an antique herbarium, the work of Jean Joseph Adrien Fauré de Fiches (1774-1858). Agronomist and naturalist, syndic of the province of Foix and member of the Ariège General Council, Jean Joseph Adrien Fauré de Fiches was a pupil of one of the greatest biologists of his time, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck.
The Fiches herbarium comprises 2,444 plates, representing over 3,000 plant species collected in Ariège, the Pyrenees and beyond. It groups together almost 150 botanical families, representing a historic image of the plant world of great beauty and scientific interest.
Castle of Fiches
Road to Saint-Félix de Rieutort
09340 Varnish
Tel: 05 61 02 87 49
Phone : 06 70 07 35 83
chateaudefiches@aol.com
http://chateaufiches.blogspot.com
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