Château des Guilhem
Encyclopedia
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 town of Clermont-l'Hérault
Clermont-l'Hérault
Clermont-l'Hérault is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.It lies 30 minutes from Montpellier, from the sea.-Sights:The town is built on the slope of a hill which is crowned by an ancient castle and skirted by the Rhonel, a tributary of the Lergue...
in the Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
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...
.
Built for the Guilhems, lords of Clermont-l’Hérault, at the end of the 11th and beginning of the 12th centuries, the castle stands on Puech Castel hill, overlooking the town and surrounding country. The strategic site permitted control of the Hérault
Hérault River
The Hérault is a river of southern France. Its length is . Its source is in the Cévennes mountains. It reaches the Mediterranean Sea near Agde...
valley and the road to Bédarieux
Bédarieux
Bédarieux, is a commune in the Hérault department in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.The inhabitants are called Bédariciens.-Geography:Bédarieux is west of Montpellier and north of Béziers...
and the higher cantons, as well as the feudal town which was itself fortified soon after the castle was built. There is some evidence that earlier buildings existed.
After a number of troubled periods when the castle provided shelter for the local population, it was slowly abandoned from the 16th century. Owing to its largely abandoned state, it escaped the widespread destruction of castles by Cardinal Richelieu. However, its abandonment and the ravages of time have caused serious deterioration: the only remnants are the fortifications, two vaulted halls and the Guilhem Tower (tour Guilhem) which still stands above the town. There is a grand panorama of the Hérault plain.
The castle is listed by the French Ministry of Culture 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...
and received some preservation works in 2007. The castle site is open daily to visitors, though access to the tower is not possible. (Note: From 1 October 2009 and until further notice the castle has been closed due to a risk of falling stones.)