Château d'Assas

The castle d'Assas is foolishness of the eighteenth century Montpellier Assas located a few kilometers north of Montpellier in the Herault. The Lords of Assas are mentioned early in the twelfth century.

The estate was sold in 1486 by Hugues Guillaume Bonnal d'Assas, Montpellier merchant, which then several successive owners: Pluviès, family Montchal finally Joseph Boyer, Marquis de Sorgue, King's lieutenant in Languedoc. The latter sold in 1747 to Jean Mouton Clotte. The new owner is from a family of modest merchants who made a fortune in Montpellier. Become bankers, Sheep are ennobled in the early eighteenth century and buy Castle Clotte they are called.

Jean Mouton Clotte decides to overthrow the feudal castle d'Assas he just bought and to build a summer residence in 1759-1760. It is the building we know today. Assas retain his descendants until the Revolution. This period will not cause much damage: in 1789, a few revolutionaries enter the building and pounding the arms of the pediments sheep (two sheep competed under an olive tree), activity quickly interrupted by the villagers came to defend their castle.

During the nineteenth century, various other occupants will succeed and make changes more or less happy, but none is harmful to the building. In 1949 Robert Demangel, former director of the French School of Athens acquired. It now belongs to his heirs. The castle was the setting for the filming of La Belle Noiseuse, a film by Jacques Rivette in 1991, and The Return of Casanova Niermans of Edward in 1992. It can be visited on request or at Heritage Days.