The Château de Saint-Béat 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
Saint-Béat-Lez in the
Haute-Garonne ''
département'' of France.
[Jean-Jacques DARD]
"Le château de Saint-Béat, « clef de France »"
''La Dépêche du Midi'', 25 July 2002.
History
The castle dates from the 12th century. It was enlarged by
Henri IV (1553 – 1610). Rulers rarely lived in Saint-Béat; the castle was occupied by captains until the 16th century.
[ In 1588, the Parlement of Toulouse passed a law that required the inhabitants of Melles, Argut and Arlos by turns to guard the castle, subject to a fine of 500 '' écus''. The castle never had to repel invasions, though its strategic position close to the Spanish border led to it being described as "''la clef de France''" (the key to France).][
]
Description
The castle was surrounded by two '' enceintes''.[A. de Baroncelli, ]
Les Pyrénées de Bayonne à Perpignan
', p 101 (1900) The 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 ...
measures 5 metres by 5 and had two storeys. The castle provides views over the village and the Garonne valley.[
]
See also
* List of castles in France
References
Castles in Haute-Garonne
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