Château de Montaner, Montaner, France

The Château de Montaner is a castle in the commune of Montaner in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département. A castle was built on a motte in the 11th century by the Viscounts of Montaner. It was reconstructed in 1375 by Sicard de Lordat on the orders of Gaston Fébus to protect the frontiers of Béarn with Bigorre and Armagnac. The architect, Sicard de Lordat, was also responsible for the Château de Pau and the Château de Morlanne and is noted for utilising brick in his constructions, its advantages being comparative cheapness and speed.

It includes a vast polygonal enceinte with 20 sections supported by buttresses with two gateways and a 36 metre high square keep, accessed by a swing bridge. Above the door to the keep is the majestic coat of arms of Foix-Béarn, itself capped with the words 'Fébus mé fé' ('Fébus made me'). Since 1854, the Castle has been owned and managed by the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département. In summer, numerous spectacles and exhibitions are organised on the theme of the Middle Ages.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Alexander Kurdin (7 months ago)
Thank you so much!Very interesting!

pika Silva (7 months ago)
We go here every year and Our kids enjoy it. They have a lot of activities for the kids and adults

Andrew Sherwood (9 months ago)
Very good place to visit

Wolf Grimshaw (6 years ago)
Really interesting with an excellent guide to explain the history. It's very good value as well. Only down side is a small cafe would be a good idea as there is non in the immediate location, it would bring in a few more funds for the restoration

Stephie MadFish (6 years ago)
It was so unexpected! Amazing building and wonderful story told us by the young man on duty.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright **Anik Messier**

Historic Site of the week

Inverness Castle

Inverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness. The red sandstone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th-century (c. 1057) defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court.

The castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which Macbeth of Scotland according to much later tradition, murdered Máel Coluim"s father Donnchad I of Scotland, and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east.

The first Inverness Castle was partially destroyed by King Robert I of Scotland and a replacement castle was sacked in the 15th century by the Clan Donald during the Siege of Inverness (1429). The castle was occupied during the Raid on Ross in 1491.

In 1548 another castle with tower was completed by George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (1514–1562). He was constable of the castle until 1562.

Château de Montaner

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

Inverness Castle