Château de Barbezieux
Encyclopedia
The Château de Barbezieux is a castle
situated in the commune
of Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire
, in the Charente
département of France
. It dates from 1453, though an earlier castle, of which no trace remains, stood on the site from the early 11th century. The castle has been listed since 1913 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
Sold during the French Revolution
, the south east corner was strengthened by the département and used as a prison until 1820. In 1844, the castle was bought by the town which flattened part and restored the rest for a variety of uses.
Of the inner curtain, a fragment of the north wall survives along with the covered round walk, terminating to the east with a semi-cylindrical tower. The attached former barn and stable also survive, remodelled in 1845 as an Italian theatre and café by the carpenter Jean-Baptiste Bontemps.
In 1860, part of the building was converted under the direction of architect Pierre Lacombe for use as a hospital, until 1908, and a girls' school. About 1922, a new building was constructed at the west by architect Maurice Mignon and houses a library.
The two high round towers are covered by a single roof which also covers the central passage. Openings for cannons are visible.
In the south east, the gateway is framed by round towers. Above the gate is the Saint-Ymas church with its single nave of four bays.
To the south, demolished in the 18th century, stood the keep
composed of two towers.
In the north west, between two towers, a double-gabled building has been nicknamed pavillon de la recette. A tennis court and a well are close by. A second well supplied the keep. Ditches surrounded each of the curtain walls.
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...
situated 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 Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire
Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire
Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France.The commune of Barbezieux, with the neighbouring village of St Hilaire, forms the most important town in Southern Charente....
, in the Charente
Charente
Charente is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.-History:Charente is one of the original...
département of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It dates from 1453, though an earlier castle, of which no trace remains, stood on the site from the early 11th century. The castle has been listed since 1913 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.
History
The present castle was built on the orders of Marguerite de La Rochefoucauld to provide work during a time of famine in 1453.Sold during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the south east corner was strengthened by the département and used as a prison until 1820. In 1844, the castle was bought by the town which flattened part and restored the rest for a variety of uses.
Of the inner curtain, a fragment of the north wall survives along with the covered round walk, terminating to the east with a semi-cylindrical tower. The attached former barn and stable also survive, remodelled in 1845 as an Italian theatre and café by the carpenter Jean-Baptiste Bontemps.
In 1860, part of the building was converted under the direction of architect Pierre Lacombe for use as a hospital, until 1908, and a girls' school. About 1922, a new building was constructed at the west by architect Maurice Mignon and houses a library.
Architecture
Even today, the castle appears as an imposing fortress.The two high round towers are covered by a single roof which also covers the central passage. Openings for cannons are visible.
In the south east, the gateway is framed by round towers. Above the gate is the Saint-Ymas church with its single nave of four bays.
To the south, demolished in the 18th century, stood the keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
composed of two towers.
In the north west, between two towers, a double-gabled building has been nicknamed pavillon de la recette. A tennis court and a well are close by. A second well supplied the keep. Ditches surrounded each of the curtain walls.
External links
- Ministry of Culture database entry for Château de Barbezieux 1
- Ministry of Culture database entry for Château de Barbezieux 2
- Ministry of Culture photos