Château de Montignac
Encyclopedia
The Château de Montignac is a ruined castle
in the commune
of Montignac-Charente
, in the Charente
département of France. The castle is the property of the commune and has been listed since 1962 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
invasions.
The fortifications of the castle were built and rebuilt several times during the 12th and 13th centuries.
, there remain the gateway with a portcullis and two round towers on top of an escarpment, the western part of the enceinte and a round tower.
The present fairground corresponds to the lower courtyard.
A 13th century watercolour shows that there were also two towers covered by pepperpots.
The Saint Étienne priory, dating from 1030, was demolished in 1960 and its stones partly used to rebuild the keep. The latter forms an imposing structure from which the view extends across the valley of the Charente River
.
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 Montignac-Charente
Montignac-Charente
Montignac-Charente is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, 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. The castle is the property of the commune and has been listed since 1962 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
A fortified camp existed at Montignac in the 9th century, during the NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
invasions.
The fortifications of the castle were built and rebuilt several times during the 12th and 13th centuries.
Architecture
Of the enceinteEnceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
, there remain the gateway with a portcullis and two round towers on top of an escarpment, the western part of the enceinte and a round tower.
The present fairground corresponds to the lower courtyard.
A 13th century watercolour shows that there were also two towers covered by pepperpots.
The Saint Étienne priory, dating from 1030, was demolished in 1960 and its stones partly used to rebuild the keep. The latter forms an imposing structure from which the view extends across the valley of the Charente River
Charente River
The Charente is a 381 km long river in southwestern France.Its source is in the Haute-Vienne département at Chéronnac, a small village near Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime...
.