Château de Roquetaillade, Mazères, France

The Château de Roquetaillade in Mazères was originally built by Charlemagne on his way tho the Pyrenees. In 1306, with the permission of the English King Edward I, Cardinal de la Mothe, nephew of Pope Clement V built the second fortress (le Château Neuf).

This new castle was square in plan with six towers and a central keep. The entire structure was restored and transformed by Viollet-le-Duc and one of his pupils, Duthoit, between 1860 and 1870. The extraordinary interior decorations, with its furnishings and paintings, were created by Viollet-le-Duc and are listed as French Heritage.

The château park includes remains of the medieval curtain wall with the barbican, the Pesquey stream and its banks, the 19th century chalet, and the Crampet pigeon loft.

The castle has been lived in by the same family for over 700 years. It has been open to the public since 1956 and is the most visited in the Bordeaux region. Open all year round, visits in English with the owners are also possible.

Other activities at the castle include a famous production of white Graves wines 'Chateaufort de Roquetaillade', and Bazadais cattle breeding.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Nigel Harris (4 years ago)
Fascinating chateau with an interesting past. Excellent guided tours

Romain CARPENTIER (4 years ago)
Very nice castle. The guides are super nice (The visit was in french though). This castle renovation was one of the last work of Violet-le-Duc. Unlike a lot of castle in France, this one has kept a lot of furniture which makes it very original. The landscape in the middle of the vineyard and forest is very lovely.

Bridget Skinner (6 years ago)
We were on a coach tour and would certainly recommend this wonderful castle. Our guide could not have been more knowledgeable about the building or the history of the local area. The castle was updated but what an incredible job to maintain the medieval look whilst turning this exceptional building into a comfortable home.

Oleksandr Velykoivanenko (6 years ago)
Beautifully preserved medieval castle with meticulous attention to details and great respect to both visitors and owners. Likely the best castle to visit in Bordeaux area. And they make great wines too! Highly recommended!

Dave Brandman (6 years ago)
Fascinating mideveal castle, still owned and lived in by the descendants of the original family. 3 generations still live 8n the castle today. Last major remodel was in the 19th century.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

Historic Site of the week

Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Château de Roquetaillade

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Sigmaringen Castle