The Château Moncade is a ruined

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the '' commune'' of

Orthez Orthez (; ; , ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, and region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies 40 km NW of Pau on the Southern railway to Bayonne. The town also encompasses the small village of Sai ...

in the

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' of France.

History

Construction of the castle was started in 1242 by the

Gaston VII, Viscount of Béarn Gaston VII de Montcada (; 1225 – 26 April 1290), called ''Froissard'', was the twentieth Viscount of Béarn from 1229. He was the son and heir of Guillermo II de Montcada of the House of Montcada and of Garsenda, daughter of Alfonso II of Prove ...

(the

keep A keep 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 castles that were fortified residen ...

, known as the ''tour de Moncade'') taking advantage of the absence of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. When the King returned, Gaston was imprisoned and had to swear allegiance before being released. He subsequently reneged. It was the residence of the Kings of

Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...

when their capital was Orthez. Standing on top of a hill above the town, it afforded views of the surrounding county over a radius of more than . The central tower was surrounded by high curtain walls and

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

s up to deep. Entry was by a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

. In the 14th century, Gaston Phébus,

Count of Foix The Count of Foix ruled the County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their court to Pau in B ...

, altered it between 1368 and 1375. The castle was burned during the Wars of Religion in 1569. It was sold during the French Revolution to dismantlers who largely demolished the curtain wall. The only remains are the keep (in a good state of preservation), the

s (in course of restoration) and remnants of the curtain wall. It has been listed since 1840 as a ''

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 collection of buildings, ...

'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

Visits

The castle is open to the public (paying) and contains, among other items, a model of the site.Jean Sarsiat
"Le poids touristique du château Moncade"
''Sud Ouest'', 5 July 2011 . Retrieved 4 June 2020.

Gallery

File:Tour moncade.jpg, alt=The tower of the Castle of Moncade, The tower of Château Moncade File:Chateau moncade.jpg, alt=The tower of the Château Moncade , The tower of Château Moncade

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moncade, Chateau Monuments historiques of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Ruined castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Maisons des Illustres

History

Visits

Gallery

See also

References

External links