The Château d'Auriac is a ruined

castle 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 r ...

in the '' commune'' of Auriac in the

Aude Aude (; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it "Ca ...

'' département'' of France. The castle dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. The castle stands on a crest overlooking the gorge of the

Orbieu The Orbieu (; oc, Orbiu) is an long river in the Aude ''département'', in south central France. Its source is at Fourtou, in the Corbières Massif. It flows generally northeast. It is a right tributary of the Aude into which it flows between Rai ...

river, protected by an octagonal '' enceinte''. Part of the square

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

remains.

History

Around 1211, after the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

, the castle was in the possession of a baron "from the north" (possibly De Lévis). At the start of the 15th century, the castle was altered. In the 16th century, the internal buildings were improved to give more comfort. Large windows and staircase turrets were built. Some arrow slits were modified for firearms. At the end of the 17th century, further architectural alterations were made to improve the residential buildings. Around the 18th century, the castle was abandoned. In 1849, the Château d'Auriac belonged to Monsieur Laffont of Donos.Guide de tourisme Auriac, Aude
/ref> In 1859, he sold the castle to Monsieur Casimir Ducros of Castres.

Jacques-Alphonse Mahul Jacques-Alphonse Mahul (31 July 1795 - 25 August 1871) was a French columnist and politician. A liberal activist, he was affiliated with the Carbonari, and was imprisoned for some time at La Force Prison. He participated in the editing of many ...

, ''Cartulaire et archives des communes de l'ancien diocèse et de l'arrondissement administratif de Carcassonne'', vol 3, page 371. Paris : Didron et Dumoulin, 1857-1882. Visiting the castle is free. It is owned by the commune and the state. It has been listed since 1948 as a ''

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

'' by the French Ministry of Culture.

References

External links

* Monuments historiques of Aude Ruined castles in Occitania (administrative region) {{France-castle-stub

History

See also

References

External links