Château de Saint-Ilpize
Encyclopedia
The Château de Saint-Ilpize is a ruined castle
in the commune
of Saint-Ilpize
in the Haute-Loire
département of France. The medieval town of Saint-Ilpize clings to a basalt
rock on which stands the castle. Within the castle's walls is a 14th century chapel built of polychromatic tufa
; a basalt gable wall houses the church bells.
s, the Dauphins of Auvergne were able to control the Allier river gorges.
In the Middle Ages
the castle was an important châtelain
, Saint-Ilpize being one of the treize bonnes villes d'Auvergne (thirteen good towns of Auvergne) which had supported Charles VII
during the Praguerie revolt of 1440.
In 1424, Blanche Dauphine, inheritor of the manor, married Jean de Lespinasse. In 1480, the property passed to the house of Amboise, and, in the 16th century, to the house of Rochefoucauld-Langeac.
The castle and the chapel have been listed since 1907 as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture.
s, bastion
s and postern
s defended the access to the lower court yard which was reached through an arched gateway, now destroyed.
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 Saint-Ilpize
Saint-Ilpize
Saint-Ilpize is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.-References:*...
in the Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire
Haute-Loire is a department in south-central France named after the Loire River.-History:Haute-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
département of France. The medieval town of Saint-Ilpize clings to a basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
rock on which stands the castle. Within the castle's walls is a 14th century chapel built of polychromatic tufa
Tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar carbonate deposits known as travertine...
; a basalt gable wall houses the church bells.
History
The first recorded mention of a fortified construction is from 1030; the castle was modified in the 14th and 16th centuries. The chapel dates form the 12th century. The castle was the property of the Dauphins of Auvergne. With rapidly added enceinteEnceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....
s, the Dauphins of Auvergne were able to control the Allier river gorges.
In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the castle was an important châtelain
Châtelain
Châtelain was originally merely the French equivalent of the English castellan, i.e. the commander of a castle....
, Saint-Ilpize being one of the treize bonnes villes d'Auvergne (thirteen good towns of Auvergne) which had supported Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
during the Praguerie revolt of 1440.
In 1424, Blanche Dauphine, inheritor of the manor, married Jean de Lespinasse. In 1480, the property passed to the house of Amboise, and, in the 16th century, to the house of Rochefoucauld-Langeac.
The castle and the chapel have been listed since 1907 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.
Description
The curtain walls are dominated by the former chapel and a square tower which now serves as a bell tower. Successive enceintes, flanked with towers, surrounded the lower court yards and sections of the town which, by the 16th century, extended as far as the banks of the Allier. Only the uppermost enceinte, which protected the manor house, still appears as a solid structure at the summit of the hill. The roughly circular enceinte, made up of irregular stretches of wall, is accessed by a ramp leading from the church. Several chicaneChicane
A chicane is an artificial feature creating extra turns in a road, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars to lower speeds.- Motor Racing :...
s, bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s and postern
Postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate, particularly in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location, allowing the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern could act as a sally port, allowing...
s defended the access to the lower court yard which was reached through an arched gateway, now destroyed.