The Château de Pitray (built in the 17th century) is in the village of Saint-Seurin-de-Prats. The name comes from Pic du Roy, or king’s peak, since the house was built on an ancient tumulus also known as Mothe de Prats, signifying that it was on land a little higher than the plain.
It belonged to the Puch family before being acquired by Gabriel de Ségur, seigneur of Pitray. From there it passed on to Pierre de Ségur, son of Thomas, co-seigneur of Pitray, and to his daughter Henriette, married to Alexandre de Puch in 1715, whose descendants remained in possession of the property until 1900. Pierre de Ségur, chevalier of Pitray and a lieutenant in the Koenigsmark Cavalry Regiment, distinguished himself during the dragonnades, or persecutions directed against Protestants during the reign of Louis XIV.
Originally the main part of the house consisted of two wings of equal size in the shape of perpendicular rectangles, delimiting the courtyard opening out onto the Dordogne River. Pitray became the property of Doctor Samuel Amanieux at the end of the 19th century and in 1905, a Bordeaux architect joined the two wings by a massive flat-roofed building and an Italianate terrace lined with pilasters.
Over the last 25 years, the Château de Pitray has become a venue appreciated for organizing business meetings and all types of seminars, conferences, and especially concerts.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.