Château de Ventadour
The Château de Ventadour is in the commune of Moustier-Ventadour in the department of Corrèze (Limousin).
For the castle of the same name in l'Ardèche, see Château de Ventadour (Ardèche). For the troubadour, see Bernart de Ventadorn. For the theatre, see Salle Ventadour.Situation[edit]
Placed on a rocky outcrop overhanging the valley of Luzège, only few vestiges remain on the site of this feudal castle, which is still remarkably wild. The existing enclosure follows the contour of the plateau thus protecting a place of 170 m length and 30 m wide at its maximum. One finds inside some traces of a chapel and a residence, an important round tower and a section of wall seeming to be that of a square keep. (Though most impressive when glimpsed from the D991, access is advised from the Égletons direction. Access is possible from the D991 but is a steep, single track with tight hair-pin bends).
History[edit]
The castle was built in the eleventh century, and probably altered during several periods of construction and rebuilding extending from the twelfth to the fifteenth century. It controlled the viscounty of Ventadour, whose political centers were Égletons and Ussel. Ventadour became a county in 1350 under Philippe de Valois, and a Duchy-Peerage in 1578. It was held by the noble family of Ventadour until 1472, when the last heiress married Louis de Lévis, Baron de la Voulte. Later the stronghold passed by marriage to Rohans, and from the Rohan-Soubises-Ventadour line to the Prince of Condé, who allowed it to fall into disrepair. Sold as a national asset, the castle gradually was dismantled, especially after the Bourbon Restoration, when it was acquired by the merchant and materials dealer Pertuis du Gay. It was then the property of the duke of Lévis-Mirepoix.
Restoration[edit]
The site was classified as an historic site in 1946, but required major renovations due to the extensive damage it had suffered in previous centuries. In 1965, consolidation work and excavations were undertaken to try to restore the former splendor of the fortress. By 1980, it became possible to identify the original location of a certain number of rooms within the enclosure, and several important decorative features of the lordly residence were recovered. Further excavations took place in 2003 (the north-eastern curtain wall) and 2004-2005 (the barbican and tower); nevertheless, the site is now open to the public (for a modest fee). In the summer of 2017 guided tours (in French) were offered.