Bois Castle (Belfaux)

Bois Castle was built at the beginning of the 18th century by the Gady family. They remained owners until the end of the century. There is an anecdote about a descendant of the Gady family, Catherine von Gady: General Napoleon Bonaparte stayed at Bois Castle in 1797 on his way to the Congress of Rastatt and dined with his mistress, Catherine.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Odet von Orsonnens family ruled over these places. The residence was then transferred into the hands of Gottrau von Billens. Then the Belfagian Gendre family settled in the castle.

In 1830, the area was bought by Dr. Joseph Récamier, a legitimate refugee of the 1830 Revolution. Six years later, Bois Castle came into the possession of the Fribourg Boarding School Commission, the Jesuit College Boarding School of Saint Michel of Fribourg. The Jesuits had an oratory built on the southeast facade of the castle.

During the Sonderbund War in 1847, vandals took advantage of the unrest and plundered empty patrician houses. Fribourg and Vaud citizens and even federal soldiers dragged carts full of furniture, linen, dishes, clocks, etc. out of the castle. After the capitulation of the Canton of Fribourg, the new government expelled the affiliated Jesuits and their relatives.

In 1851, the "von Bois" property was sold to the Reyff family and remained in their possession until the arrival of the Sisters of the Congregation of Saint Charles of Lyon in 1907. They opened a house of moral rehabilitation as part of the Catholic Swiss protection work for young girls. Until 1957, they received 3150 young pregnant girls (from Switzerland and France) there.

They also had the necessary annexes for their mission built to the left of the original building. As the Jesuit oratory was too small, they commissioned two Fribourg architects to convert the barn to the right of the castle into a chapel.

In 1964, they opened a retirement home for elderly ladies. As the religious themselves were increasingly aging, a desired succession presented itself in 1994, and the castle passed into the hands of a private foundation, which established a non-medical home. Due to a lack of public support, the institution was closed shortly thereafter.

Since 1998, part of the premises has been rented to a private school, the Bois Castle School.

Since September 5, 2006, the private school Le Roseau has opened its doors.