Château de Duras, Duras, France

The origin of Château de Duras was the church of Saint-Ayrard (now demolished), which was located 1200m from the castle. The church was given in 977 to the Abbey of La Réole by Gombaud, Bishop of Vasconie and Guillaume, Duke of Gascony. In 1087, Bertrand de Taillecavat gave a quarter of the church of Saint-Ayrard to the abbey of La Réole. In 1127 the priory of Saint-Ayrard's villa is destroyed by the Viscount of Besamont. A house and a chapel was then built on the current site of the castle. A charter of 1233 attributed to the prior of La Réole the rights to the city of Duras, as he owned the priory of Saint-Ayrard. The charter is signed by Geraud de Malemort, Archbishop of Bordeaux, Raymond, Bishop of Agen and Guillaume de Bouville, Lord of Duras.

The first castle of Duras dates from the 12th century and was built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Dropt valley. The castle belonged to the family of Bouville. The castle was captured in 1254, from the Viscounts of Benauges and Bezaume by King Henry III of England after a revolt of the Gascon lords. He passed the castle to his son, the future Edward I.

In the early 14th century, Gaillard de Goth, brother of the first French pope Clement the 5th, inherited of Duras castle. Papal money must have been useful for the construction of a new fortress to replace the former medieval castle. Then, the lands of Duras became property of Arnaud de Durfort when he contracts a marriage with Marquèse de Goth, the Durfort became then Durfort-Duras and the castle remained property of the same family until 1838.

Today Château de Duras is open to the public. The visitor can browse History and Architecture through the 30 restored rooms

User Reviews

Patrick Gilmore (2 years ago)
Halloween at the Castle of the Dukes of Duras is an awesome experience for young and old. Not for the faint hearted though ?

Will Dixon (2 years ago)
We were staying just by the castle as a group of friends with lots of little toddlers. They loved the visit to the castle and the jousting show. Really good fun for them.

Kevin Hardern (2 years ago)
A good place to visit, not a load of clutter, some furnished rooms but most have a historical aspect telling the story of the castle. The high point was a selection of medieval games in a lot of rooms, with instructions, we played them all. Only negative was nowhere for refteshments in the castle

Tony Atkins (3 years ago)
Awesome castle probably one of the most organised guide round a castle. Very impressive building with loads of interesting and captivating things to do and see. Definately worth a visit.

Duncan Bloor (3 years ago)
Lively night market on every Thursday in the summer. Nice food, wine stalls, live music and a great atmosphere. Arrive early to grab a spot at one of the outside tables.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Château de Duras

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