The Château d'Aucors is a

Périgord Périgord ( , ; ; or ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is divided into f ...

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

located in the commune of Beaussac (the new commune of Mareuil en Périgord), in the

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

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 ...

'', in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

region of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Overlooking the Nizonne valley, it is a protected historical monument.

Location

In the north west of Dordogne, in the former commune of Beaussac, which merged with eight others in 2017 to form the new commune of Mareuil en Périgord, the Château d'Aucors dominates some twenty metres of the D87 road and the valley of the Nizonne. It was built on a limestone cliff pierced with caves.Jean-Luc Aubarbier, Michel Binet, Guy Mandon, ''Nouveau guide du Périgord-Quercy'',

Ouest-France ''Ouest-France'' ( ; French for "West-France") is a daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on both local and national news. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départements within the régi ...

, 1987, , p. 238.

History

A first

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 ...

was built on the site in the 11th century. Occupied by the English during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

, it was taken in 1435 by the troops of the

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...

. After the end of the war, a manor house was constructed in the 15th century at the edge of the cliff. The building being in a state of ruin after the Wars of Religion, it was reconstructed in 1617.Château d'Aucors
Office de tourisme Périgord Dronne-Belle. Retrieved 28 October 2019. It was added to the list of '' monuments historiques'' on 6 December 1948. The château today belongs to the Piraud family.

Architecture

The Château d'Aucors is made up of two squared logis and a polygonal stair tower positioned at their junction. The main façade is adorned with two

bartizan A bartizan (an alteration of ''bratticing''), also called a guerite, ''garita'', or ''échauguette'', or spelled bartisan, is an overhanging turret projecting from the walls of late-medieval and early-modern fortifications from the early 14th c ...

s or ''échauguette''s. In the kitchen is a 30 metre deep

well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

Gallery

Beaussac Aucors (2).jpg, The south façade Beaussac Aucors échauguette (1).jpg, The west bartizan

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aucors, Chateau d' Châteaux in Dordogne Monuments historiques of Dordogne

Location

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References