L'Herm Castle
The L'Herm Castle is located in the French commune of Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac in the Dordogne . The origins of the building go back to the beginning of the 14th century. The remaining ruins have recently been the subject of historical and archaeological research and are now open to visitors.
history
There is no precise information about the first attachment. The castle and ramparts with the keep on top were probably built around 1300. 5 to 6 m deep trenches and, in the early days, a wooden fence were used to protect these structures. It is assumed that L'Herm was initially a feudal estate and later a noble seat . The title of the Lords of L'Herm first appears in literature around 1400, when Hélie la Roque took the oath of feud. The castle remained in the possession of this family until 1438 when it passed to the Lacropte family. In 1500 the property was sold to Jean de Calvimont, lord of Tursac.
After the end of the Hundred Years War , the customary conversion into a cozy little castle began. The Calvimont family devoted themselves to this task until the last bearer of the name, Jean IV, died in 1586. As a result, the dispute over property rights developed into a family tragedy, in the course of which the actors did not shrink from murder. When the actual ownership situation could no longer be clarified, it was auctioned in Paris on June 16, 1679. For 40,000 pounds, the entire feudal lordship, located in the parishes of Rouffignac , Milhac and Plazac , including the high, middle and lower jurisdiction and the feudal rights, went to Marie de Hautefort, niece of the Duchess Schomberg. From 1714, L'Herm Castle was uninhabited and left to decay. When the Duchess died, the castle fell to Margrave Emmanuel de Hautefort and the land was divided.
At the end of the 19th century, the ruins of the castle L'Herm rose to fame once again when they were used by the writer Eugène Le Roy as the setting for his novel Jacquou le Croquant .
architecture
The current structure with its meter thick walls was built by Jean II. De Calvimont between 1490 and 1520 in the late Gothic Flamboyant style. It has a rectangular, 25 m × 10 m large living area, which consists of smaller rooms and a large salon and is flanked by two huge round towers. Opposite the round towers is a third one, which offers space for a spiral staircase and the treasury.
Web links
- Official website of L'Herm Castle (French, English)
Coordinates: 45 ° 4 ′ 41 ″ N , 0 ° 57 ′ 32 ″ E