The Château de Grâne 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
Grâne in the
Drôme ''
département'' of France.
The castle stands above the village of Grâne and is largely in ruins. Remains include sections of the
curtain wall and a tower. The mounting for an old mullioned window and a spiral staircase are visible, as well as vaulted cellars from the 13th century.
History
Grâne's castle was one of the preferred dwellings of the
Counts of Poitiers
Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or ''Poitou'', in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became part of Aquitaine) are:
*Bodilon
* Warinus (638–677), son of Bodilon
*Hatton (735-778)
Carolingian Counts
...
, who stored their archives and treasures there. The last Count of Poitiers, Louis II, having no legitimate male heir, was taken hostage at Grâne's castle for 15 days on 2 August 1416 by his cousins, Charles, the lord of
Saint-Vallier, Drôme and the
Bishop of Valence, Jean de Poitiers. They forced him to sign a
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
in their favour. Once freed, the old count tried to annul the will by remarrying but failed to have any children. The Pope finally revoked the testament, signed under duress.
The Domaine de Plaisance, comprising the castle in the village, as well as agricultural lands and a fortified house (''maison fort''), was created at the start of the 16th century by Bertrand Rabot, a
Noble of the Robe. During the
Wars of Religion (1562–98), the castle and particularly the ''maison fort'' were badly damaged. The Rabots returned in 1644 and renovated the buildings
In 1792, Duchesne, a lawyer from
Grenoble, bought the castle and estate. He was later a delegate under the
Directory
Directory may refer to:
* Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files
* Directory (OpenVMS command)
* Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...
and president of the
Tribunat under the
Consulate.
[Robert SERRE, ''Grâne, histoire d’un village du val de Drôme'' (1992)]
The castle, as part of the Domaine de Plaisance, has been listed since 1999 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.
[
]
See also
* List of castles in France
References
External links
*
Ruined castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Monuments historiques of Drôme
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