Note: the Internet is Not all-knowing, all-telling.
These words of wisdom are the reason I could not give you more information of my next, and last, of my August Chateaus.
(And if it does turn out to be all-knowing, all-telling, it doesn't always tell in English.)
The Château de Salignac is the former castle of the Salignac-Fénelon family in the commune of Salignac-Eyvigues in the Dordogne département of France. It dates from the 12th-16th centuries.
It has been classified since 1969 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
And that is about all I could find. But please, click on the pictures, especially the lower one, to get a better look at the Chateau, it really is most lovely.
Bonjour.
Well, Dear Reader, you might have noticed a theme in my posts of late: Chateaus. At first it was unintentional, but then I thought, Hey, why not do a Blog post on a chateau every Wednesday in August!
This particular chateau, Château de Castelnau, is not one that I find overly beautiful or anything. But it is a chateau, and it is not ugly, so it will do.
Construction on Château de Castelnau began about 1100, under Hugues, baron of Castelnau, who built a wall around his manor. He was the ancestor of the powerful dynasty of Castelnau, who owned a rich and prosperous region and were vassals of the Counts of Toulouse.
The chateau was enlarged several times between the 12th and the 15th century, when it was necessary to adapt the fortifications to artillery.
It was taken by Henry II of England in 1159, and returned to the barons of Castelnau at the end of the Hundred Years' War.
During the 17th century, the castle was improved in an aesthetical and practical way: large windows, richly decorated salons, balcony of honor.
The castle fall into disrepair after the death of the last Castelnau in 1715. In 1895 it was bought by Jean Mouliérat, a singer with the Paris Opéra Comique and also a collector of furniture and sacred artworks. He undertook the restoration and furnished the castle with his collection. After his death in 1932, the castle was given to the state. Visitors can see seven rooms in this fortress, restored and furnished in the medieval style.
Bonne journée. (Have a nice day.)
Well! I have discovered a beautiful castle, chateau, rather! I was scrolling through my Ever Faithful List of Castles when I saw it and thought, "blog post!"
Château de Beynac, in the commune of Beynac-et-Cazenac, in the Dordogne département of France.
It was built in the 12th century by the barons of Beynac.
The oldest part of the castle is a large, square-shaped, Romanesque keep with vertical sides and few openings, held together with attached watch towers and equipped with a narrow spiral staircase terminating on a crenelated terrace. To one side, a residence of the same period is attached; it was remodeled and enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries.
On the other side is a partly 14th century residence side-by-side with a courtyard and a square plan staircase serving the 17th century apartments. The apartments have kept their woodwork and a painted ceiling from the 17th century.
At the time of the Hundred Years' War, the fortress at Beynac was in French hands. The Dordogne was the border between France and England. Not far away, on the opposite bank of the river, the Château de Castelnaud was held by the English. The Dordogne region was the theatre of numerous struggles for influence, rivalries and occasionally battles between the English and French supporters. However, the castles fell more often through ruse and intrigue rather than by direct assault, because the armies needed to take these castles were extremely costly: only the richest nobles and kings could procure them.
The castle was bought in 1962 by Lucien Grosso who has restored it. Today it is open to the public.
I was enthralled by Château de Beynac's beauty ever since I saw it. But the one picture that made me certain that I had to go see it someday was this one:
Bonne journée. (Have a nice day.)
