Château de Nérac

Nérac, France

The Château de Nérac is a castle in the Lot-et-Garonne département in southwest France. An edifice of the French Renaissance style, it was finished during the reign of Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre, daughter of Marguerite d'Angoulème who was also Marguerite de Navarre by her marriage to Henry II of Navarre.

A stately home belonging to Arsieu of Albian is mentioned in 1088 but the first mention of a castle on the site is that belonging to Amanieu VI of Albret (Labrit) in 1259. The castle was rebuilt between the 15th and 16th centuries by the House of Albret. The House of Albret became linked to the Kingdom of Navarre after his marriage to Queen Catherine of Navarre (Lescar, 1486) and his crowning jure uxoris as King Jean III of Navarre. The castle was the location of a vibrant court during the life of Jeanne d'Albret, Queen Jeanne III of Navarre, and the youth of Henry III of Navarre, the future Henry IV of France. In 1560, Queen Jeanne III and her court converted to reformed religion after the meeting of Theodore de Bèze, and they welcomed a number of artists, such as Clément Marot.

After the coronation of Henry III of Navarre as King Henry IV of France, the castle was deserted. It was partially destroyed in 1651 by Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, after the town revolted against king Louis XIII of France and then dismantled during the French Revolution, excepting the northern part, which is now a museum.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Valois Dynasty and Hundred Year's War (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Michaël “Abe” (16 months ago)
Coming from the river, you can just see the tower and some parts of the old wall. Then a small flight of steps and you can see the balcony with its twisty columns, old walls and roof. Small but very well preserved and very atmospheric with its little galleria. The rest of the town is very quaint with lovely old houses and river banks.
Mirjam Haasnoot (2 years ago)
Beautiful castle, unfortunately it is closed on Mondays
Ein jel Line (4 years ago)
You have to call to book for a visit and you have to wait down and a person will come and tell you when to go upstairs so if it's a hot weather makes sure you have your umbrella with you to provide some shade specially if you are with small children. It's small place a short but good visit, they have activity for kids. They have small booklet that kids can answer you have to pay for 50 centims each booklet and also they do not provide the pencil so you have to buy pencil or pen if you do not have any with you. They do not have toilets in their facilities but There is restaurants and bars nearby.
Anastasia Mironchyk (6 years ago)
Not very much to see, cause only one wing is open, but if you read the exposition guide, there are plenty of interesting stories and facts in it.
Mad_Dog_Dak _ (7 years ago)
This place is really stunning, something only visualized in medieval times
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Abbey of Saint-Georges

Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.

The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).