Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle

Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle

 

Location: Périgord   Map

Constructed: 13th century

 

History of Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle

Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle takes a strategic high location over river Dordogne valley across Château de Beynac. The first document that mentions Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle dates back to the 13th century at the time of the Albigensian Crusade, although it might have existed before that. It became famous during extermination of heretical group known as Cathars. Simon de Montfort briefly took the castle, but Cathar castellan was Bernard de Casnac quickly retook the citadel hanging the whole garrison of soldiers. In the several centuries the castle changed hands repeatedly. Needless to say many legends and paranormal claims still exist on the location. Today it is a private property open to the public and features the museum of medieval warfare.

 

History

Probably built at the end of the twelfth century, the castle of Castelnaud ("new castle" in Occitan), is the possession of Bernard de Casnac, Cathar lord and vassal of the Count of Toulouse. In 1214, Simon de Montfort, who led the crusade against the Cathars, known as the “Albigensian crusade”, seized the fortress. Taken over by Bernard de Casnac, it was finally burned by the Archbishop of Bordeaux in 1215.

A new castle was built in the middle of the 13th century under Capetian authority. After the Treaty of Paris in 1259, Castelnaud recognized the suzerainty of the Duke of Aquitaine, Henry III of England. In 1368, Magne de Castelnaud married Lord Nompar de Caumont. The Caumonts then became the lords of Castelnaud and Berbiguières.

As the Hundred Years War begins, the Caumont family chooses the side of the English. During this long war, the castle changed sides many times according to alliances and special interests. In March 1437, after sixteen years of English occupation, the castle was taken over by troops commanded by Jean de Carbonnières, bastard of Pelvezy, with Jean de Veyrines de Saint-Alvère and Jean d'Aynac as associates. Mathelin de Montbrun, lord of Cardaillac, claims restitution as his property having obtained letters from the king the previous year which made him hope for restitution. The castle fell back into English hands in March 1439. In 1442, the King of France, Charles VII, ordered the siege of the castle then held by supporters of the King of England. After three weeks of tension, the besieged ceded the fortress for 400 gold crowns. Castelnaud Castle was definitively taken over by the French on October 7, 1442, who won the Hundred Years War eleven years later.

Following the conflict, the Caumont family took over the castle and remained its owner until the Revolution.

In the 16th century, during the Wars of Religion, Geoffroy de Vivans, a Huguenot captain, defended the stronghold on behalf of the Caumonts, followers of the Protestant religion. Faced with Geoffroy, known as "the battler", feared throughout Périgord, and the new fortifications (bastion and artillery tower) that came to reinforce the defenses of the castle, no one tried to take Castelnaud during these wars, which were nevertheless particularly intense in Périgord.

The castle was occupied by a more or less numerous garrison until the Revolution.

Sold as national property in 1789, after the flight of its owners, the castle of Castelnaud serves as a stone quarry. The artillery tower and the southern main building lose their summit. The vegetation then conquers the monument, which gradually falls into oblivion.

 

Reconstruction

In 1965, Philippe Rossillon, former student of the ENA and diplomat, long employed in institutions of the Francophonie and mayor of Beynac-et-Cazenac, bought the castle of Castelnaud with his wife, Véronique Rossillon, to renovate it. In 1985, his son, Kléber Rossillon left Aérospatiale to take over and opened the castle to the public. He then created the Museum of War in the Middle Ages and embarked on the reconstruction of life-size jet machines: trebuchet, bombarde, mangonel, pierrière, bricole and couillard4.

 

Description

War Museum
Inaugurated in 1985, the museum of war in the Middle Ages invests the rooms of the seigniorial dwelling. The fund of the collection consists of 300 pieces of arms from the 13th to the 17th century, coming from Europe (swords, halberds, armour, crossbows, artillery pieces, including a reconstruction of a bombard), reconstructions of siege engines as well as a furniture set. The museum is structured dynamically according to a succession of different spaces: artillery room, passageways, weapons rooms, models, video rooms, terraces, weapons store, casemates, armory workshop, kitchen , upper room of the furnished dungeon, gallery of hoardings, for a total of fifteen rooms.

The castle was frequented by more than 233,000 visitors in 2022.

In 2020, the Château de Castelnaud obtained the Qualité Tourisme mark for the quality of its welcome and its services.

Protection
After a first classification of the castle alone as historical monuments on December 20, 1966, a new classification - which cancels the old one - integrates the castle and its enclosure on October 28, 1980, and, on the same day, the châtelet of entrance is listed as a historical monument.

 

Personalities linked to the castle

Bernard de Casnac, owner of the castle in 1214, husband of Alix de Turenne.
Simon de Montfort takes the castle in 1214.
Magne II de Castelnaud marries Nompar de Caumont, owner in 1368.
Pons de Beynac, joined the troops of Charles VII during the siege of 1442.
Geoffroy de Vivans (1543-1592), captain of the castle in 1563.
Jacques Nompar de Caumont, companion of Henri IV, Marshal of France in 1622.