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Medieval times
 The history of
Prye starts in the early Xth century. In the medieval times, a fortress
called “Firmitus” gave its name to the village “la Fermeté” where Prye is
located. Transformed into a prioress it was destroyed during the French
Revolution.
In Prye, there
was a medieval fortress.
 A tower and the
moat from that period can still be seen today. The owners were the knights
of Prye. Their war cry was “Cant l’Oyseaulx” (May the bird sing) a memory of
a victory announced by the song of a bird. You will repeatedly see this
motto on the façades, on the polychrome ceilings of the entrance, the dining
and the living room. In march 1462 Antoine de Prye sells his grounds to Imbert de la Platière, equerry and knight of Bordes.
XVIIth
century
 The name Prye
can be found in the beginning of the XVIIIth century when the marchioness de
Prye, favourite of the Duke of Bourbon, minister of Louis the XVth ,favoured
the wedding of the King with Marie Leszczynska. Through inheritance and
marriage Prye becomes in 1603 the property of Antoine de la Grange d’Arquian.
His grand-daughter Marie-Casimire is the maid of honour of Louise-Marie de
Gonzague, the daughter of Charles, Duke of Nevers. Louise-Marie married
twice. Each time with a polish king! Marie-Casimire also becomes the Queen
of Poland in 1674 when she marries John III Sobieski. A few years later
Sobieski freed Vienna invaded by the ottoman armies of the Great Vizir Kara
Mustafa. From then on Sobieski is regarded as “Saviour of Christendom”
(title given by the Pope after his victory).
At that time the
castle of Prye was completely rebuilt on the site of the original medieval
fortress.
From the XVIIIth
to XXIth century
After the death
of the queen of Poland, her son Jacques sold the estate to the abbot of
Simiane.
In 1723 the
abbot of Simiane, who had owned the castle for two years, sold the domain
to Michel de Las, knight of Valotte and other places.
 In
1771, his descendant Louise-Marie de Las weds Emmanuel du Bourg, 5th
marquess of Bozas. Their grandson Charles-Louis
du Bourg de Bozas (1802-1882) builds the 7 km long wall surrounding the
grounds. Huge works were
undertaken at the end of the XIXth century by Antoine du Bourg de Bozas
(1836-1922). He used a yellow coloured stone extracted from a quarry located
on the estate.
In 1873 the
landscape gardener Edouard André designed the park. One can read in his
“General Treatise of the composition of parks and gardens” the method of the
clearings he applied to Prye.
The architect
Massillon-Rouvet restored and extended the castle. The hexagonal tower is
surmounted by the statue of Saint George.
 Magnificent
marble stables were added in 1888 with a huge 630 m² carousel. Antoine du
Bourg de Bozas as a boatswain kept his horses and pack there. One could also
see a breeding of charolais (famous white cows) in the left wing of the
stables. The first floor was occupied by the staff. Hunting trophies can be
admired under the vault of the building. They were brought here by the
Viscount Robert du Bourg de Bozas, the youngest brother of the marquess. The
viscount was sent on a mission by the French government to Africa from 1900
to 1903. He travelled from the Red Sea to the Congo, through Somalia,
Ethiopia and the high plateaux of the Nile. He died in Abyssinia.
Prye was known
in the beginning of the 20th century for its breed of charolais.
A first-rate herd was set up by Emmanuel du Bourg de Bozas (1896-1990). His
eldest son Charles died in 1976. His grandson Antoine-Emmanuel listed the
estate as a historical monument (I.S.M.H.) in 1994. Since the 1990’s he
launched a restoration campaign, awarded by the 5th price of
regional patrimony (Burgundy) in 2001.
Nowadays,
Antoine-Emmanuel and his wife Magdalena have developed numerous activities
to give "wings" to the the deeply rooted setting. |
