Château de Pézènes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Château de Pézènes is a castle in the commune of Pézènes-les-Mines in the Hérault département of France.[1]
The castle was built on a promontory within a meander of the Peyne river, in a mountainous wild landscape on the trade route from Faugères to Gabian[2] in the 11th and 12th centuries. Many remains from this period are still visible.[3]
In 1539, Guinot de Lauzières, squire, paid homage for his properties, including the castle at Pézènes, to François I.[4]
While never as important as some other sites in the region, it was besieged and taken by Protestant forces in 1569.[5]
In 1885, M. Vernazobres, Mayor of Bedarieux owned the castle.[6]
The castle was restored during the 17th century, and again more recently.[3]
Description
The castle is located on the higher part of the village, surrounded by a fortified enceinte that follows the irregular land surface. Two doorways were opened in this wall during the 17th century. The castle is made up of four buildings closing off a rectangular interior courtyard. The entrance is by two doorways, each with arrowslits, and previously protected by a drawbridge. There is a tower at either end of the castle, rectangular in the north and semicircular in the south. In the east, and part of the castle, is a 12th-century Romanesque chapel whose chevet apse appears to have been raised in the 14th century to make a tower. The door and some of the bays have been colourfully decorated with basalt.[1]
The castle is privately owned and not open to the public. It has been listed since 1981 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.[1]
