Château de Keriolet explained

Château de Keriolet
Map Type:France Concarneau
Building Type:Castle
Architectural Style:Gothic Revival architecture
Client:Zénaïde Narichkine-Ioussoupov
Owner:Charles Chauveau
Current Tenants:Christophe Lévèque
Location Town:Concarneau
Location Country:France
Coordinates:47.8865°N -3.9081°W
Start Date:1863
Completion Date:1883
Architect:Joseph Bigot
Website:http://www.chateaudekeriolet.com/

The Château de Keriolet is a castle built in the 19th century in Concarneau (France).

History

At the end of 1850s, under the Second French Empire, Charles Chauveau met the Russian princess Zénaïde Yusupov. She was in love with him and bought him a count's title of Chauveau. The Château de Keriolet was commissioned by Zénaïde Ivanovna Yusupov (Felix Yusupov' great-grandmother), and built at the end of the 19th century by the French architect Joseph Bigot.[1]

In 1889, the Count died from a heart attack aged only 60. He had bequeathed the domain to his sister, Madame Emma Prieur, or to his mistress Jeanne Ducos, with whom he had two children, depending on the source. Whatever the case, Zénaïde bought back Kériolet for 1,5 million francs and decided then to donate it, with her lands and her collections, to the department of Finistère.

In 1956, Felix Yusupov won a lawsuit and regained possession of the castle from the department of Finistère. The castle was sold to the city of Concarneau in 1971. In 1988, Christophe Lévèque acquired the castle, restored it and reopened it to the public.[1]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Yvon Corre, Kériolet. Le château d'une fantasque Russe, Le Télégramme, 5 August 2012.