The Château de Saint-Germain-Beaupré is a '' château'' in the '' commune'' of

Saint-Germain-Beaupré Saint-Germain-Beaupré (; Limousin: ''Sent German'') is a commune in the Creuse department in central France. Population See also * Château de Saint-Germain-Beaupré *Communes of the Creuse department The following is a list of the 256 ...

in the Creuse '' département'' of France.

History

The castle was built in the 16th century, beginning in 1533, on the site of an earlier

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 ...

dating from the 12th century, itself rebuilt between 1407 and 1409. The fortress was restored again at the end of the 15th century at the expense, it is said, of Jean VI d'Aumont, who had devastated it twice at the head of League troops. In 1605, King Henry IV of France spent a night here. In 1666, it housed the King's daughter '' la Grande Mademoiselle'', who recalled her brief stay here in her ''Mémoires''. In 1768, the castle passed into the hands of the marquis Doublet de Persan who, financially ruined, had to sell it on the eve of the Revolution. Various subsequent owners neglected its upkeep. In 1860, the new owner was forced to carry out repairs including entirely rebuilding a collapsed tower. Privately owned, the ''château'' has been listed since 9 May 1946 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.

Architecture

The Ministry of Culture has classified as historical monument the

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

s and entrance from the 16th century as well as the façades and roof. The internal vaulted staircase was listed in 1941.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Germain-Beaupre, Chateau De Castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Châteaux in Creuse Monuments historiques of Nouvelle-Aquitaine