The site of Saint-Loup is placed at a strategic position where Thouet and Cébron rivers meet. From the early days it was surrounded by military constructions. The first document of castle dates from the 12th century.
The keep, built in the Middle Ages, is the oldest part of existing castle. The Black Prince imprisoned in the famous Keep the French King John the Good after the battle of Poitiers in 1356. The entrance of the square tower was then protected by a portcullis. Today the keep and adjacent buildings have been converted into an amazing guest house with five bedrooms, sitting room & dining room.
Château de Saint-Loup was rebuilt in Renaissance style during the 16th century by Gouffier family. The present Château (1609-1626) was built by Claude and Louis: plan in the shape of an H in the honor of King Henry the IV th with wings disposed as separate entities and independent vertical roofs. The frescoes were painted in false brick. A campanile tops the central Pavillon. All these elements confer to the Château the architural style which existed at the beginning of classicism which is called the Louis XIII style.
From then on the domain is adorned by sumptuous gardens designed and built by the most prominent gardeners of their time. A document describes a meeting in 1631 between the Gardener of the Gouffier family Jamin with those of the Cardinal de Richelieu and Duke de la Trémoille.
In 1767 the Château is sold to Jean Haran de Borda, fermier général, who bequeaths it in 1772 to his nephew Jean d’Abbadie, an important magistrate. The Château remained the property of the d’Abbadie family until 1894.
References: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.