There are numerous

castles A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified ...

in the

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.départment of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Most are little more than ruins and many are barely discernible. Castles, or their remains, can be found at the following locations (among others): * Agel: Medieval builders in the 12th century built a castle whose location became the centre of the village. The castle controlled strategic routes. The present château comprises a central fortified tower, four other towers (two with a spiral staircase) and a pigeon loft, and is run as a hotel. It was listed as a '' monument historique'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

in 1979. () * Aigues-Vives * Aumelas: The castle was built from limestone during the late 11th and early 12th centuries and includes a chapel, moat and ''

enceinte Enceinte (from Latin incinctus: girdled, surrounded) is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the position. Fo ...

''. The existence of the Saint-Sauveur chapel is documented from 1114. The castle was dismantled by royal troops in 1622. Since 1989, it has been listed as a ''monument historique''. () * Autignac: The village retains vestiges of an ancient castle. * Bélarga: The Château de Bélarga probably dates from the 14th century. It was remodelled in the 15th century and the north wing from this period survives. During the first half of the 17th century a new castle was built to the north of the first. The original castle is mostly constructed from limestone. It is privately owned. * Brissac: The site was originally a Roman villa, but the castle dates from the 11th century. The North tower was added in the 12th century, with more additions later. During the 1960s it was bought by a visiting American businessman and his French wife. Being told it was going to be destroyed for a film they took pity and he spent the next nine years rebuilding it as respectfully as possible. It is still privately owned. () * Cabrerolles: Village sited on an important route. The presence of a castle confirms the vital importance of this section of the high country. () * Cabrières: The castle was mentioned in Gregory of Tours' ''Historia Francorum'' ("History of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

"). The old village was built at the foot of the castle. The site was never unoccupied until Théodebert, future king of Austrasia left the castle to crown himself, accompanied by Deoteria, Countess of Cabrières. According to legend, before leaving for

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

, the future queen took care to pack in her baggage some local

vine cuttings The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the ''Vitis vinifera'' family, produce one crop of fruit each growing season with a limited life span for indi ...

. These found the hillsides of Moselle to their liking and produced a wine in which the sun of Cabrières shone. () * Castelnau-de-Guers: This medieval village perched on rocky outcrop near Pézenas, takes its name from the Barons of Guers, who reigned at the Castelnau Castle until the 17th century. The feudal castle was first mentioned in 1069. Today, there remains the crenellated façade, a Romanesque doorway topped by a machicolation, curtain walls, the structure of the drawbridge and the Romanesque chapel. There is a magnificent panorama over the plain from the terrace. The site of the castle was listed as a ''monument historique'' in 2003. It is not open to the public. () * Cébazan: Château de Saint-Bauléry () * Clermont-l'Hérault: Remains of Château des Guilhem. Listed as a ''monument historique'' in 1927. () * Creissan: Castle built in the 10th century; the remains are in poor condition. () * Cruzy: Narrow village streets lead to a feudal castle from the 12th century, formerly the property of the Viscounts of

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

. * Dio: Mentioned from 533. The castle was built in the 12th century. A residence was added in the first half of the 17th century, though it is not clear whether this was for Jean de l'Hom, treasurer of France, who owned the castle from 1602, or for Pierre de Fleury who owned it from 1630. The castle is constructed from sandstone. Since 1930, it has been listed as a ''monument historique'' by the French Ministry of Culture. () * Faugères: Medieval castle, 12th century. *

Fontès Fontès (; Languedocien: ''Fontés'') is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hérault department The following is a list of the 342 Communes of France, communes of the Hérault Depa ...

: The ruins of the Château de Mazers are approximately 1 km west of Fontès, in woods just off the Neffiès road. They consist of three pieces of wall, up to 20 feet high, and remains of a circular retaining wall on a mound. () * Fos: The castle was built under the reign of Francis I. However, it is said that, well before then,

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

fought the Saracens here. () *

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

: Only ruins remain of the Château de Ganges. () * Laurens: Originally the site of a Roman villa and home for centurions. In the 12th century, the Knights Templar established the castle as a commandery. Surrounded by its Middle Ages walls, it is known as ''le petit Carcassonne'' (little

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Au ...

). Modified in the 16th century, it was restored and remodelled in the 19th by Viollet-le-Duc. Listed as a ''monument historique'' in 1923, the site is privately owned and run as a hotel and the centre of a vineyard of 1.1 km² (270 acres) producing 4,200,000 litres a year.
Website
() * Malavieille: Ruins in a poor state of preservation located in the ''commune'' of Mérifons, 8 miles (13 km) west of Clermont-l'Hérault. Recorded as a "castrum" in 1098, the present castle dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1223, Amalric de Narbonne gave the castle to the bishops of Lodève. It was already abandoned by the 17th century. () * Margon: In the centre of Margon, this castle dates from the 15th century with additions and alterations from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. It consists of a courtyard with surrounding walls. Staircases lead to an enclosed park and terrasses (open to the public). The castle is inhabited but not, itself, open to visitors. It was listed as a ''monument historique'' by the Ministry of Culture in 1937. () * Marsillargues: Castle built by

Guillaume de Nogaret Guillaume de Nogaret (1260 13 April 1313) was a French statesman, councillor and keeper of the seal to Philip IV of France. Early life Nogaret was born in Saint-Félix-Lauragais, Haute-Garonne. The family held a small ancestral property of ...

in 1305, with additions from the 16th and 17th centuries. The castle has been owned by the municipality of Marsillargues since 1948. It was listed as a ''monument historique'' by the Ministry of Culture in 1995. () *

Montouliers Montouliers (; Languedocien: ''Montolièrs'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hérault department The following is a list of the 342 communes of th ...

* Mourcairol: Ruined Middle Ages castle and fortifications in the Les Aires ''commune'', a few miles south of

Lamalou-les-Bains Lamalou-les-Bains (; Languedocien: ''L’Amalon'') is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. Geography Lamalou-les-Bains is located 53½ miles west of Montpellier in the Orb valley of the southern ...

. The hilltop location provides extensive views of the region. The only complete part of the castle is the St Michel chapel. Restoration work is being carried out. () * Neffiès: The town is built in circular form around the castle. * Pailhès * Pégairolles-de-l'Escalette: 12th-century castle, altered in the 17th century. Closed to the public. It was listed as a ''monument historique'' by the Ministry of Culture in 1984. *

Pézenas Pézenas (; Languedocien: ''Pesenàs'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Name The name "Pézenas" is derived from the older name ''Piscenae'', probably from the Latin word ''piscenis'', meanin ...

: Destroyed 1632. ''See Château de Pézenas'' * Pézènes-les-Mines: The Château de Pézènes is a feudal castle on the edge of the village, dominating the site from a rocky ridge. It was listed as a ''monument historique'' in 1981. () * Puissalicon: Restored castle from the fourth quarter of the 13th century. Listed as a ''monument historique'' in 1947 and protected since 1988. *

Puisserguier Puisserguier (; Languedocien: ''Puègserguièr'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hérault department The following is a list of the 342 Communes of ...

: Remains of castle and walls from the 12th century. * Roquessels: The Château de Roquessels is now ruined, though the chapel remains. () * Thézan-lès-Béziers: Like many other villages in the region, Thézan is built around a hilltop surmounted with a medieval castle (the Château d'Aspiran de Ravanès) having a 14th-century façade, a large round tower from the 17th century and a gate bearing the date 1674. *

Valros Valros is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Population Sights and monuments Fort de Valros (also known locally as Tour de Valros) is a ruined small castle or fortress. In the mid-19th century, t ...

: Small castle/fort. ''See Fort de Valros.'' *

Vendres Vendres (; Languedocien: ''Vèndres'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Population Sights The French Ministry of Culture lists three sites with protection as a ''monument historique''. * The ...

: The remains of the 13th century

Château de Vendres The Château de Vendres is a ruined castle in the ''commune'' of Vendres in the Hérault ''département'' of France.Ministry of CultureChâteau. Retrieved 6 June 2020. The castle dates from the 13th century. The remains consist of a gatehouse and ...

consist of a gatehouse and curtain wall, and remnants of the ramparts. It has been listed since 1926 as a '' monument historique''.

External links

French Ministry of Culture
The

website has database entries in French, many with photos, on the following castles in Hérault:
: : Other sites
Château d’Agel

Château Grézan (Laurens)
with link to

Sources

* ''Faugères & Saint-Chinian en Terres d'Orb (booklet) (2004) Edition 2004 * ''Discovering the Historic and Remarkable sites of the Pays d'Agde Region'' (leaflet) Communauté de Communes des Pays d'Agde (undated) * ''Green Guide: Languedoc, Roussillon, Tarn Gorges'' (1998) Michelin {{DEFAULTSORT:Castles In Herault Monuments historiques of Hérault