The Château de Clérans is a
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
Cause-de-Clérans 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 ...
'' of France. It was built in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.
[Ministry of Culture]
Château de Clérans
Description
The castle is situated in the southeast of the
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 ...
in a region known as ''Périgord pourpre'', in the south of the Dordogne.
It is private property, open to the public on
European Heritage Days
European Heritage Days (EHD) is a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission involving all 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention under the motto, ''Europe: a common heritage''. The annual programme offers ...
.
The castle was listed in 1948 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, ...
'' for its
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 ...
and for other remains in 2007.
[
]
History
An earlier castle on the site was burned by Raymond I of Turenne
Raymond I of Turenne ( – ) was the 7th Viscount of Turenne. He participated along with his vassals in the First Crusade as part of the Army of Raymond of Saint-Gilles.
Family
Raymond was born around 1074, in the viscounty of Turenne, in Limousin ...
around 1100.[
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 changed hands several times between the English and the French,[ notably in 1378 when it was taken by ]Bertrand Du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin (; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' War. From 1370 to his ...
. The castle became French in 1453.[
Abandoned, it was used as a stone quarry in the 19th century][ until it was bought in 1936.
]
Architecture
The dwellings, the two towers, the '' châtelet'' and the medieval ramparts,enceinte
Enceinte (from Latin ''incinctus'' "girdled, surrounded") is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the positio ...
'', are preserved in state of ruins, except for a chapel fitted out as housing.
Gallery
File:Cause-de-Clérans château.JPG,
File:Cause-de-Clérans château donjon (1).JPG,
File:Cause-de-Clérans château donjon intérieur ouvertures.JPG,
File:Cause-de-Clérans château tympan (1).JPG,
See also
*List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Regions of France, region and Departments of France, department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are p ...
References
Ruined castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Monuments historiques of Dordogne
{{France-castle-stub