Château d'Aurignac
Encyclopedia
The Château d'Aurignac is a ruined 13th century castle
in the commune
of Aurignac
in the Haute-Garonne
département of France.
The castle was built on a hill before 1240 by Bernard V, Counts of Comminges, and the village developed around it. Henry IV
ordered the destruction of the castle in the early 17th century and, although it was still partly inhabited in 1627, it fell into disuse not long afterwards. All that remains today are the church, a well-restored keep on the peak of the hill and the some of the ramparts, which have been incorporated into houses.
The property of the commune, it has been listed since 1979 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Aurignac
Aurignac
Aurignac is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France on the edge of the Pyrénées. It is the seat of the canton of Aurignac , which is composed of 19 communes. It is part of the ancient region known as the Comminges....
in the Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The...
département of France.
The castle was built on a hill before 1240 by Bernard V, Counts of Comminges, and the village developed around it. Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
ordered the destruction of the castle in the early 17th century and, although it was still partly inhabited in 1627, it fell into disuse not long afterwards. All that remains today are the church, a well-restored keep on the peak of the hill and the some of the ramparts, which have been incorporated into houses.
The property of the commune, it has been listed since 1979 as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture.
External links
Source
- www.culture.gouv.fr, accessed 16 March 2008