Château de Lastours
Encyclopedia
The Château de Lastours is a ruined castle
in the commune
of Rilhac-Lastours
in the Haute-Vienne
département of France.
Construction began in the 12th century. Today in ruins, it was the former seat of the seigneurs and later barons of Lastours. It still has several corner towers and the base of the keep
, altered in the 16th century. A voluntary association, over several decades, restored the castle, one of the high points of Limousin
history.
It has been listed since 1956 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 Rilhac-Lastours
Rilhac-Lastours
Rilhac-Lastours is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in west-central France.-References:*...
in the Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne is a French department named after the Vienne River. It is one of three departments that together constitute the French region of Limousin.The chief and largest city is Limoges...
département of France.
Construction began in the 12th century. Today in ruins, it was the former seat of the seigneurs and later barons of Lastours. It still has several corner towers and the base of 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...
, altered in the 16th century. A voluntary association, over several decades, restored the castle, one of the high points of Limousin
Limousin (région)
Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
history.
It has been listed since 1956 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.