The Château de Gavaudun 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 village of
Gavaudun (
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne (, ) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.[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 ...]
) on the river
Lède, near the
Périgord noir region. It was built on a rocky spur and overhangs the river. The lofty 13th century
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 ...
rises 25m above the level of the rock.
In the vicinity are the
Château de Bonaguil
Château de Bonaguil is a castle in the French '' commune'' of Saint-Front-sur-Lémance, but actually owned by the neighbouring ''commune'' of Fumel in the Lot-et-Garonne ''département''.Château de Biron
The Château de Biron is a castle in the valley of the Lède in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Biron, Dordogne, Biron in the Dordogne ''Departments of France, département'' of France.
History
It was the castle from which the Gontaut-Bi ...
.
History
The castle was built during the 12th and the 13th centuries, on the main road between
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 ...
and
Agenais
Agenais (), or Agenois (), was an ancient region that became a county (Old French: ''conté'' or ''cunté'') of France, south of Périgord.Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. "Agenais". ''Webster's Dictionary#The Collegiate Dictionary, Webster's N ...
.
The
bishop of Périgueux
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
besieged it and destroyed it for the first time in 1165.
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 of central importance in the conflict between England and France.
The Château de Gavaudun has been listed 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 ...
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, ...
'' since 1862.
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 ...
Notes
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gavaudun, Chateau de
Ruined castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Monuments historiques of Lot-et-Garonne