The Château de Crestet is a

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 A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of

Crestet Crestet (; oc, Lo Crestet) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Château de Crestet * Dentelles de Montmirail * Communes of the Vaucluse department The following ...

in the

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' of France.Ministry of Culture
Château de Crestet

History

Construction began between 840 and 850.Le Crestet
at crestet.fr It was a summer residence of the Bishops of

Vaison-la-Romaine Vaison-la-Romaine (; oc, Vaison) is a town in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Vaison-la-Romaine is famous for its rich Roman ruins and mediaeval town and cathedral. It is also unusual in ...

. In 1160,

Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse Raymond VI ( oc, Ramon; October 27, 1156 – August 2, 1222) was Count of Toulouse and Marquis of Provence from 1194 to 1222. He was also Count of Melgueil (as Raymond IV) from 1173 to 1190. Early life Raymond was born at Saint-Gilles, Gard, ...

, seized the castle at Vaison and drove out the bishops who came to the castle at Crestet. In 1189, Raymond VI also seized Crestet. During the 14th century, the castle was remodelled as evidence of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

are still visible. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, the castle was sacked and much of its furniture burned. Abandoned, the castle was used as a quarry by local people. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, (at the end of 1943, beginning of 1944), a German unit of about twenty men occupied the castle and surrounded it with barbed wire. They slept in houses in the village.

Restoration

In 1979, the noted French architect,

Roger Anger Roger Anger (24 March 1923 – 15 January 2008) was a French architect who worked on the Auroville project, designed by Mirra Alfassa and endorsed by UNESCO and the Government of India. He also collaborated many times with Pierre Puccinelli, not ...

(1923 – 2008), designer of the city of

Auroville Auroville (; City of Dawn) is an experimental township in Viluppuram district, mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with some parts in the Union Territory of Pondicherry in India. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as "the Mo ...

in India acquired the castle and in 1985 undertook its consolidation and restoration on which he worked until his death.Roger Anger
''PSS.archi.eu''

References

Castles in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Ruined castles in France {{France-castle-stub