Castelnaud Castle
| Castelnaud Castle | ||
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 Castelnaud Castle |
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| Creation time : | 13th Century | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | Received or received substantial parts | |
| Standing position : | Nobles | |
| Place: | Castelnaud-la-Chapelle | |
| Geographical location | 44 ° 48 '57 " N , 1 ° 8' 56" E | |
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The Castelnaud Castle (French: Château de Castelnaud ) is a medieval hilltop castle in the French community of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle in the Black Perigord. It stands on the banks of the Dordogne across from Beynac Castle and houses a museum of medieval war machines. The castle is considered the most visited in the whole of southern France .
architecture
The medieval structure of the castle was restored in 1966 at great expense and with great historical and architectural care. The silhouette of the castle is dominated by the square donjon from the 13th century, the lord's central defense or residential tower . The outer fortification line runs to the north-west and encloses a second smaller square tower ( châtelet ) from the 15th century. As a reaction to the emergence of modern firearms and siege weapons, a barbican , a gate fortification with its own inner courtyard to reinforce the actual castle gate , was built in the 15th century . Further north performs a 15 meters high with battlements and embrasures provided shield wall , the inner courtyard (French: cour intérieur) : (French against the atrial basse cour closes and connects the housing of the 15th century with the Donjon). A special feature of Castelnaud is the artillery tower, which was added to the south around 1520, but its military use could never be proven.
history
The first and historically reliable mention of the Castelnaud castle was found in 1214 when Simon IV. De Montfort , leader of the crusade against the Albigensians , was commissioned by Pope Innocent III. conquered the castle and returned it to the property of the French king Philip II .
During the Hundred Years War Castelnaud was considered a strategically important fortress due to its exposed but also difficult to attack river location and changed hands several times. In 1259 the complex was the subject of the Paris Treaty between the French King Louis IX. and his English rival Henry III. and went into English possession together with the province of Aquitaine in exchange for Normandy and Maine and other fiefs . In 1442 the French King Charles VII ordered the siege of the castle, which lasted three weeks and ended victorious for the French.
In the following period, the Caumont family made their influence over Castelnaud and its surroundings until the French Revolution . After the establishment of the Renaissance castle Les Milandes by Francois de Caumont Castelnaud lost from 1489 its military importance and became the representative pleasure residence in the center of the Seigneurie of Caumonts.
During the Wars of Religion from 1562 to 1598, one of the most important Huguenots , Geoffroy de Vivans , ruled Castelnaud. De Vivans was in direct favor with Henry IV and successfully played out his powerful position in the region - Castelnaud was not exposed to any attacks during this time.
At the end of the 16th century, Jacques Nompar de Caumont had extensive extensions built again, but Castelnaud increasingly lost its importance.
With the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789, Castelnaud was sacked and set on fire. However, the masonry remained until 1832, when it was decided to use the castle as a quarry to build bank fortifications for the Dordogne.
Web links
- Castle website (English and French)