Château de Rochefort-sur-Charente

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Rochefort-sur-Charente was a French feudal castle, now largely vanished, located in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. Its site on the banks of the Charente comprised several buildings: A fortified castle, which stood on a chalky rock overlooking the Charente and is now known as the Hôtel de la Marine de Rochefort. A country château, known as the Hôtel de Cheusses, which stood about a hundred metres away. A part dating from 1599 survives as the north wing of the present building. It successively served as lodging for squadron commanders (until 1782), as the seat of the Navy Intendancy, and as the seat of the Naval Commissariat (until 1927). Since 1973 it has been the Musée national de la Marine de Rochefort. A castle chapel dedicated to Saint Charles, which was rebuilt by the king and erected in 1686 as a new parish church under the dedication of Saint Louis. Demolished after its secularisation in 1791, its bell tower, built very high in 1724 to serve as a navigation landmark and observation post, was preserved, but its spire was replaced by a platform to serve as a semaphore. It is known as the Tour aux Signaux (Signal Tower). A ‘prêche calviniste’ (Calvinist preaching house), built around 1597 midway between the two châteaux, which was given to the Lazarists in 1683. It was rebuilt and returned to Protestant worship. A port on the Charente called the Port de Fonteneau, which was on the site of the present Louis XV dry dock.