The Château de Grangent is a ruined
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 ...
in the ''
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
'' of
Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert
Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert () is a commune in the Loire department in central France.
Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert was created in 1973 by the merger of two former communes: Saint-Just-sur-Loire and Saint-Rambert-sur-Loire.
Population
The population ...
in the
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...
'' of France.
At the time of its construction, originally around 800, it was on a promontory standing some 50 metres above the river
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
. The building of the Grangent dam means that it is now on a small island in a lake, the
lac de Grangent
Lac de Grangent is a lake in Loire, France. At an elevation of 420 m, its surface area is 3.65 km2.
Landforms of Loire (department)
Grangent
Tourist attractions in Loire (department)
{{Loire-geo-stub ...
. It is overlooked by the larger castle, the
Château d'Essalois
The Château d'Essalois is a restored castle in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Chambles in the Loire (department), Loire ''Departments of France, département'' of France, overlooking a dammed portion of the river Loire, Lake Grangent.
H ...
. During the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
and later, it suffered destruction, rebuilding and several restorations.
It has been listed since 1945 as a ''
monument historique'' by the
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual ...
.
[ Château de Grangent (restes)]
The castle is privately owned.
See also
*
List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Region and Department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or viney ...
References
*Information panel on the site.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grangent, Chateau De
Ruined castles in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Monuments historiques of Loire (department)
Forez