Vestiges du château de Mervent

Mervent

In Jean d'Arras's romance, it is at Mervent that everything turns. One Saturday, the count of Forez arrives unexpectedly and urges his brother Raymondin to spy on his wife. Raymondin pierces the door of the room and sees Mélusine, half woman and half serpent, in her bath. The castle is very real. Two charters recording gifts to the abbey of Maillezais, in 1018 and 1022, already mention a castle at Mervent, with its chapel and mills; it was probably a motte. The stone fortress dates from the late 12th or early 13th century, when the powerful Lusignan family took over the lordship. Local legend says the fairy built it with a single ‘dornée’ of stones. In 1230 the English king Henry III obtained control of it for the duration of a war. Occupied intermittently until the end of the 15th century, the castle fell into ruin; 19th-century prints preserve its image. The commune has recently consolidated a white limestone tower, and the ramparts are awaiting their turn.

Mairie de Mervent — Le château, témoin majeur du passé médiéval ↗

Getting there: Park of the Mervent town hall, in the village, above the Mère reservoir lake; free access. 5 km south of Vouvant through the Mervent-Vouvant forest.

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

Ambient sound