House of the fields of the Tixier family, it belonged at the end of the 18th century, to Pierre Tixier, lawyer, subdelegate of the intendant of Auvergne, mayor of Clermont-Ferrand and to his wife Marie-Thérèse Verdier, also owners of the Fontgiève enclosure at the gates of the Auvergne capital.
The couple’s granddaughter, Jenny Tixier d’Aubeyrat, carried the estate by marriage at the beginning of the 19th century to Jean-Baptiste Charles Rodde de Chalaniat, youngest son of a considerable family, ennobled by the office of adviser secretary to the king near the chancellery of the court of aides of Clermont, originally from Cézallier, who had owned the magnificent Château de Lavaur in Neschers and the beautiful private mansion of Montboissier, in Clermont.
The estate’s mansion is in poor condition and Jean-Baptiste Charles Rodde de Chalaniat is carrying out a major restoration campaign.
Ses frères aînés n’ayant pas de postérité, il continue la dynastie familiale et donne son nom au domaine, qui est celui d’une ancienne seigneurie que la famille possédait dans le Cézalier.
One of his sons, Annet Edouard Rodde de Chalaniat is an exceptional personality: a distinguished natural scientist, Saint-Cyrian, he would have given up a military career, refusing to take the oath to the new regime in 1830.
He lived in Chalaniat by devoting himself to the study of natural sciences and more particularly of ornithology. He was notably the author of an important catalogue of birds observed in Auvergne, had collaborated with Prince Charles Bonaparte, and had a rich collection of stuffed birds that was given to the town of Clermont.
He died prematurely at the age of 46, leaving many unpublished works, victim of his devotion during a smallpox epidemic which raged in La Sauvetat.
From his wife, Anne-Marie Adèle de Douhet, Annet Edouard had two children: a religious daughter of the Sacred Heart and a son, Claude Charles, whose daughter Marie, last of the name, sold the property in 1933 to Mr. and Mrs. Jean-Edouard Knocker. M Knocker, a Frenchman of British origin, a graduate of Sup-éléc and Arts et Métiers de Lille, was a Michelin engineer.
Fascinated by agriculture, but also by naval architecture, he designed many boats. His meeting with Bernard Moitessier and their long friendship led him to design the mythical Joshua, with which Bernard Moitessier won the first solo round the world race in 1968.
The couple’s daughter, Colette, took over the estate with her husband. Their grandchildren Valérie Richard and her husband continue the work of conservation of this family home. After 2 years of reflection and 1 year of work. The opening of the guest rooms begins on July 31, 2020.
