Largentière Castle

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West elevation of Largentière Castle (2009)

The castle Largentière ( French Château de Largentière ) rises at the highest point of the former curtain wall of Largentière , a place in the French department of Ardèche . The castle served in the Middle Ages to protect the settlement and a nearby silver mine . The complex, originally consisting of a donjon , was expanded and changed over the years before the Marquis de Brison had it converted into a comfortable residence for his family in the 18th century. From 1850 to 1995 it housed a hospital . The castle stands since 31 May 1927 as a monument historique under monument protection and is except for a few weeks during the summer open to visitors.

history

Beginnings

The roots of the castle lie in a fortification that the Bishop of Viviers built in the 12th century to protect a settlement and a silver mine in the immediate vicinity. That is why the history of the castle and the town of Largentière are closely interwoven. The mine, known as Baume de Viviers , had belonged to the diocese of Viviers since 1146 , but the silver deposits in the region were an eternal bone of contention between the bishop, local rulers and the Count of Toulouse . Count Raimund V of Toulouse had to renounce all rights to the mine in favor of the Bishop of Vienne between 1186 and 1193 after an arbitration ruling by the Archbishop of Vienne , but after his death in 1194 his son Raimund VI refused . to recognize the agreement. He managed to negotiate a new agreement in July 1198, in which he recognized the Bishop of Vienne as the supreme liege lord of the mine and settlement, but in return was enfeoffed with half of the castrum of Largentière. The bishop gave a third of the remaining half to Aymar (also Adhémar) de Poitiers and a member of the Bermond dʼAnduze family. The bishop only kept the remaining sixth for himself. He had a donjon built within the city walls, but it is not clear whether it was built in the 12th century or at the beginning of the 13th century. In any case, its existence is only guaranteed for the year 1210. It formed the core of today's castle complex. The name of the residential tower called Argentia or Argentière then passed on to the village.

First expansion in the 13th century

At the beginning of the 13th century, Raimund VI. right next to the episcopal donjon its own defense tower , which towered over its neighbor by two meters in height. It was connected to the curtain wall that surrounded the bishop's tower. At around the same time, the other two tenants also built two towers in Largentière. They stood close together to the east of the curtain wall and guarded the entrance to the castle. A drawbridge separated them from the castle gate . After Raimund VI. during the Albigensian Crusade in April 1207 excommunicated and this excommunication was renewed on February 6, 1211 withdrew Burnon, the Bishop of Viviers, at the behest of Pope Innocent III. the outcast his share in the castle Largentière and took it back for the diocese. After the death of Raymond VI. In 1222 he was succeeded by his son Raymond VII as Count of Toulouse. He managed to take and occupy Largentière Castle again in 1222 for the Tolosan count's house, but in the end he was the troops of the French King Louis IX. inferior, who incorporated the provinces in the south into his kingdom. In the Treaty of Paris , Raymond VII promised to recognize the French king as feudal lord and had to leave large parts of his dominion to him. Louis IX reinstated the Bishop of Viviers as Lord of Largentière. He took office in 1222 and came from the House of Bermond dʼAnduze. Aymar de Poitiers, who was related to him, gave him all his rights to Largentière on October 15, 1229, so that the diocese was again sole ruler.

Second expansion in the 15th century

In the last quarter of the 15th century, Bishop Jean de Montchenu began to enlarge and strengthen the castle. An inscription in Gothic letters on a lintel testifies that a master Raymond and his journeymen began construction in 1481. Whereas previously only a castrum or towers were mentioned in the documents , the complex was now referred to in writing as a castle for the first time in 1497. Jean de Montchenu died that year and left a building site for his successor, Claude de Tournon, because the renovation work on Largentière Castle was not yet completed. The new bishop continued and finished the work of his predecessor. After that, the two isolated, eastern round towers were united by an intermediate building to form a defensive gate and integrated into a new circular wall. They were now also connected to the donjon by a connecting structure called a tour pentagonale ( German  pentagonal tower ). Since then, the facility has presented itself as a cohesive building complex. Their water supply was ensured by a deep castle well , carved into the rock , which reached down to the level of the river.

Conversion to a comfortable aristocratic residence in the 18th century

The castle survived the French Wars of Religion largely unscathed, but was long neglected after its end, so that the buildings gradually fell into disrepair. Bishop Martin de Ratabon sold the dilapidated complex on November 5, 1716 for 44,500  livres to François Denis Auguste de Beauvoir, Marquis of Brison. He not only had the old castle repaired, but also transformed it into a comfortable residence for his family. For this purpose, the moats were leveled and parts of the curtain wall laid down. In the southeast of the castle area, a garden terrace was built to which a large, two-flight staircase led down. Another large garden area was created south of the castle building. The connecting building between the gate and the donjon was given two additional storeys, and the northwest facade of the residential building was given rhythm by evenly laid out windows. Its interior was also heavily redesigned: From now on there were new utility rooms , a kitchen, a chapel and a courtroom ( French: salle de justice ) on the ground floor . A portrait gallery was set up on the first floor . After the renovation work, a newly laid out chestnut avenue led from the village up to the south-west side of the castle, making it possible to reach the complex by carriage . Previously, it had only been accessible via a narrow, steep path to the southeast side.

French Revolution and Empire

Largentière Castle and Place 1818, drawing by an anonymous artist

During the French Revolution , the noble lords of the castle emigrated and their property in Largentière was confiscated as emigrant property . In contrast to many other aristocratic residences, Largentière was not damaged much because it was intended that municipal facilities should be housed in the castle. And so only a few sculptures and some coats of arms were destroyed. The local police moved into the buildings during the revolutionary years. They also served as the seat of a court and as a prison. The emigrated owners returned to France after the end of the revolution and got their property back in 1802. Since they didn't know what to do with the rededicated buildings, they rented them out to the community for 1,100 francs so that they could continue to be used for law enforcement. Previously, the owners had turned down an offer to buy at 30,000 francs. In 1816 the massive tower of the Count of Toulouse from the 13th century was laid down, so that today only its foundations remain. Its stones were reused in the construction of a factory. For almost 50 years the facility housed the police, court and prison, but this type of use was not good for the building fabric and caused the buildings to deteriorate.

Conversion to a hospital and today's use

The castle before the renovations in 1858, picture by Léon Alegre

The decline was only stopped when the Marquis de Roure de Brison and his three sisters sold the castle to the community, who wanted to set up a hospital in the buildings. The purchase contract, in which a price of 17,000 francs was agreed, dates from April 1845, but only became legally binding on June 13, 1847 with royal approval. The opening of the hospital took place in March 1850. It was led by the Sisters of the Vincentine Sisters . In 1858 the hospital was enlarged by adding an additional storey to the main building and bringing it under a common roof with the donjon. The tower has not been recognizable as such from the outside since the renovation. Further extensions and additions up to the 20th century completely changed the shape of the castle complex. It served as a hospital for almost 150 years before it moved to a new building in 1995. The municipality of Largentière has owned the complex since 1996, but it is in great need of renovation and restoration . As a most urgent measure, the leaky roof had to be replaced to prevent further penetration of moisture. The storey that was raised in 1858 was also dismantled so that the donjon can be recognized from the outside. Further restoration work is to make the castle usable again for the public in the future. Currently (as of 2016) it is not accessible to visitors. It only opens its doors every year during a few summer weeks, because during this time a medieval event takes place in the outdoor area. During this time, two halls in the castle can also be visited. One of them is presenting an exhibition on the history of the castle and place.

description

location

The castle stands at about 228  m at the highest point of the former enclosure of Largentière on a rock outcrop on the right bank of the Ligne , which flows around the place there in a loop . Due to its location halfway up a mountain, the complex belongs to the hillside castles , a type of hilltop castle . It not only served to protect the settlement and the silver mine, but also controlled the routes to Tauriers and north to Jaujac and La Souche .

architecture

Northwest view of the castle (2016); The donjon made visible again by demolition is easy to see

The core of the castle complex is the square donjon ( Tour Argentière ) , over 30 meters high, with its three-meter thick walls made of bossed blocks . There is a single room on each of its three floors, of which the one on the first floor has a vaulted ceiling . The other rooms have beamed ceilings . The individual floors are connected to one another by a stone spiral staircase in the thickness of the wall, with the former high entrance on the first floor. Because the donjon was later combined with a neighboring residential building under a common roof, it was no longer recognizable as a tower from the outside for a long time, but was part of the main building. It has now been made visible again through dismantling. The main building is connected to the mighty double tower gate via a connecting structure in the north. It is located on the northeast side of the complex and consists of the former free- standing twin towers from the early 13th century, which are called Anduzeturm ( French Tour dʼAnduze ) and Poitiersturm ( French Tours de Poitiers ). They are connected to one another by an intermediate building with a round arched gate . The gate building used to house the castle commandant's accommodation. His Maschikulis still testify today of his defensive strength.

To the south of the main building there used to be a massive round tower built by the Count of Toulouse, which was demolished in 1816. Its foundations are still preserved today in the semicircular terrace in the lower courtyard.

literature

  • Albin Mazon: Histoire de Largentière. Constant Laurent, Privas 1904, pp. 551-590 ( digitized version ).
  • Michel Riou: Ardèche, terre de châteaux. La Fontaine de Siloé, Montmélian 2002, ISBN 2-84206-214-0 , pp. 157-169.

Web links

Commons : Largentière Castle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information about the castle and the planned restoration work on the website of the Fondation Patrimoine ( Memento from October 27, 2016 in the web archive archive.today )
  2. ↑ Entry no. PA00116718 in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  3. ↑ a b c M. Riou: Ardèche, terre de châteaux. 2002, p. 158.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f M. Riou: Ardèche, terre de châteaux. 2002, p. 161.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g Jean-François Cuttier: Compte rendu de la visite de la Sauvegarde du 13 June 2009 à l'occasion de la Journée du Patrimoine de Pays , accessed on October 12, 2016.
  6. ^ A. Mazon: Histoire de Largentière. 1904, p. 553.
  7. ^ A. Mazon: Histoire de Largentière. 1904, p. 554.
  8. ^ M. Riou: Ardèche, terre de châteaux. 2002, p. 167.
  9. ↑ a b c A. Mazon: Histoire de Largentière. 1904, p. 559.
  10. ↑ a b A. Mazon: Histoire de Largentière. 1904, p. 569.
  11. ^ A. Mazon: Histoire de Largentière. 1904, p. 570.
  12. ^ A. Mazon: Histoire de Largentière. 1904, p. 582.
  13. ^ A. Mazon: Histoire de Largentière. 1904, p. 582.
  14. ↑ Information about the castle on the municipality's website , accessed on October 12, 2016.
  15. ↑ Made to measure information on geoportail.gouv.fr

Coordinates: 44 ° 32 ′ 35.5 "  N , 4 ° 17 ′ 29.9"  E