En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château de Chambres, at Le Vigean in the Cantal, was a former fief held from the dean of the monastery of Mauriac. A Chambres family lived there in the 12th–13th centuries. In 1270, the seigneury passed by marriage to the house of Montclar, then to the house of Noailles in the 15th century: on 15 September 1478, Jean de Noailles paid homage for the castle to the dean, before dying there in 1479. Temporarily confiscated before 1370, the castle was seized shortly afterwards by the Free Companies (grandes compagnies), requiring a buy-back payment of 1,000 livres in 1377; the Noailles then kept the estate until the French Revolution. Dating mainly from the 15th century, the building retains portions of round arches suggesting older elements. The main residential block, flanked by three towers, has been preserved, with its great hall adorned with a monumental fireplace bearing the Noailles coat of arms; a moat protected the south-west and north-west sides, and a square tower defending the entrance was demolished during the Revolution.