Château de Gavaudun

Gavaudun

Standing on a limestone spur that overlooks the Lède valley by some seventy metres, Gavaudun is one of the most spectacular fortresses of the Agenais. Fortified from the 11th century, the site sheltered in the 12th century heretics known as Henricians, disciples of Henry of Lausanne, who plundered the countryside: in 1165, Jean d'Assida, Bishop of Périgueux, besieged the stronghold, deprived the defenders of water and had the fortress razed so that it could not be used again. Rebuilt in the 13th century, the castle received an unusual keep, round outside but polygonal inside, a defensive design rare in France. During the Hundred Years' War, the Durfort family held the place; Jean I de Durfort, having rallied to Charles V, took part in the recapture of the neighbouring bastide of Monflanquin from 1372. Passing to the Lustracs, the Caumonts and then the Belsunces, who bought the lordship for 64,000 livres in 1686, the fortress was sold as national property in 1796 to the merchant Pierre Fort. It is still entered by a staircase hewn into the rock, and local tradition speaks of a buried treasure of the heretics, never found. The keep has been listed as a historic monument since 1862, the whole castle since 30 December 1987.

Getting there : Village of Gavaudun, Lède valley between Fumel and Monflanquin; admission charge in season, climb to the keep by a staircase cut into the rock

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound