Château de Beaucaire

Beaucaire, France

The Château de Beaucaire is a ruined castle in the commune of Beaucaire. Existing structures date from the 12th and 16th centuries, with other elements from various times in the Middle Ages.

First built in the 11th century, the castle was torn down on Richelieu's orders. It used to be protected by a wall, the trace of which can still be followed. It includes a strange polygonal tower perched on a rocky spur, the façades dominating the sheer drop, and a fine round corner tower. Once inside the walls, a staircase leads to a small Romanesque chapel with a charming, sculpted tympanum, and then to the musée Auguste Jacquet. The museum has exhibits on the region's archaeology (dating back more than 40,000 years) and popular arts and traditions.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Allée Rabaud de Saint-Etienne 9, Beaucaire, France

See all sites in Beaucaire

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Église Sainte-Marthe de Tarascon (1 km)
Château de Tarascon (0,9 km)
Château de Boulbon (7,1 km)

Arles Amphitheatre (14,7 km)
Palais des Papes (20,4 km)
Avignon Cathedral (20,5 km)
Arles Roman Theatre (14,9 km)
St. Trophime Church (14,9 km)
Arena of Nîmes (23 km)
Arles Obelisk (14,9 km)
Château des Baux (14,1 km)
Musée du Petit Palais (20,5 km)

User Reviews

british_sports_car (15 months ago)
Beautiful ruined castle from a long time ago! Stunning place.

Monika Smoczyk (15 months ago)
Really nice old castle. Check when it's open as they have siesta in the middle of day.

Josh Meyer (2 years ago)
From the outside, this is a very cool looking castle. The outer walls are well maintained and very interesting to walk along. However, if you want to go anywhere else on the inside, you basically have to do the escape game. That being said, you are still very limited in what you can see. Also, be careful about open doors. You may get yelled at by security even though someone didn’t lock the door. Bring hiking shoes cause there are a lot of stairs.

Bernard Vassas (2 years ago)
Outstanding remain of what used to be one of the most important and powerful fortress of the southern France. You can also walk around in its romantic gardens. Unfortunately, the access has not been upgraded for handicapped people. The visit is free.

Vanya Mihaylova (3 years ago)
Very historical medieval place! Great view from top.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright gwpics

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).