A Templar Commandery Left to Decay in Cantal, a Medieval Fortress in Cher, a Stronghold in Berry, another, beautifully restored, in Puy-de-Dôme.
The famous auctioneer, owner of several historic monuments bought in ruins, has found a passion: saving endangered heritage.

By Ghislain de Montalembert (text) and Paul Delort for Le Figaro Magazine (photos)

At 77, Claude Aguttes has no intention of putting down his auctioneer’s gavel—and even less of setting aside his bag as an indefatigable collector of historic monuments! Already the owner of three castles—La Prune-au-Pot (Indre), Blanzat and Tournoël (Puy-de-Dôme)—the well-known auctioneer from Neuilly-sur-Seine, a lover of history and old stones, gave in a few months ago to the temptation of two new estates: the Château de Culan, in the Cher, and the Templar commandery of Celles, in Cantal, 46 kilometers northeast of Aurillac. Both are in poor condition, but nothing seems to daunt Claude Aguttes since taking on his new role as a savior of endangered monuments. Together with a few other enthusiasts, he even founded the Club Cadet Rousselle a few years ago. Among its members—an informal circle of aesthetes, collectors, and lovers of heritage, all owners of castles marvelously restored in recent years—are decorator Jacques Garcia (Champ-de-Bataille), TV producer Jean-Louis Remilleux (Digoine), Hubert de Commarque (Commarque), Marc Simonet-Lenglart and Pierre-Albert Almendros (Fléchères, Cormatin), and the Guyot family, which owns numerous historic monuments across France (Saint-Fargeau, La Ferté-Saint-Aubin, Saint-Brisson-sur-Loire, Bridoire, Marzac...).

« With my wife, we started by acquiring La Prune-au-Pot in 2000, recalls Claude Aguttes. One evening, my wife was leafing through a book on the historic monuments of Indre and I told her, half-jokingly: ‘‘If you spot something, we’ll buy it!’’ She was immediately taken with La Prune, located in the canton of Éguzon, where my brother-in-law is a notary. I called him right away:
“‘If ever La Prune-au-Pot comes up for sale, let me know, I’m interested’’, “Come tomorrow!’’ he answered. The deal was quickly done. Fifteen days later, I learned that Tournoël was also for sale. As it happens, my wife and I had always loved that place. We bought it straight away. In twenty-five years, Claude and Bernadette Aguttes have turned it into a marvel, restoring with passion (and after €1.5 million in work) the ensemble that proudly dominates the Volvic valley, and furnishing it with taste. Tournoël is now one of the most beautiful castles in Auvergne.
[...]

TREASURE HUNTER
« We love it, admits Claude Aguttes. We try to visit each of the sites more or less once a week. We leave early in the morning, with sandwiches and hard-boiled eggs in the car, because out there there’s nothing—no water, no electricity! We do everything together, my wife and I: one tinkers while the other gardens or burns brushwood. »
— Claude Aguttes
[...]

A MILLION-EURO INVESTMENT
It was at Christmas that Claude and Bernadette Aguttes’s six children discovered their parents’ new acquisition.
« We hadn’t told them anything. When they arrived at our home on December 24, we advised them to dress warmly and bring boots, because we were taking them on a little trip, relates Claude Aguttes. We piled everyone into cars—our children, their spouses, and our 31 grandchildren—pretending that we wanted to show them the famous 12th-century Madonna in Majesty at the chapel of Vauclair, near the small village of Molompize, in Cantal. They grumbled a bit at driving so far on Christmas Eve. But their mood changed completely when they discovered the commandery, more beautiful than ever under the snow. They were all enchanted. »
— Claude Aguttes
[...]

« As soon as next year, we will open the commandery to the public, says Aguttes, who loves nothing more than sharing his passion with visitors. We’re going to recreate an atmosphere, restore the refectory, put straw and chickens in the courtyard, just like in the old days! At Tournoël, people are overjoyed when I tell them the story of the castle. They even applaud at the end of the tour. It will be the same here », he promises.

Read the full article at newsstands or on the Figaro Magazine

Le Figaro Magazine
Friday, August 22, 2025