Château de Villebois-Lavalette

En un regard

Le château en bref

On the fortified hill of Villebois-Lavalette (Charente) stand the ruins of a feudal castle and a wing of an imposing 17th-century building. The first castle, a wooden motte, dates back to 959 and was built by the lords of Villebois, allies of the Taillefer counts; it evolved into a stone castle in the 12th–13th centuries with a curtain wall of seven towers. After a new residence was built by the barons of Mareuil at the end of the Middle Ages, Jean-Louis Nogaret de La Valette, Duke of Épernon and governor of the Angoumois, bought the castle in 1597; in 1622 the estate became a duchy-peerage under the name of La Valette. In 1667, the Duke and Duchess of Navailles had the fourth and last castle built, in the classical style. Damaged by fire in 1822, it was restored in the early 20th century by Maurice de Fleury and his descendants, then acquired and restored by Norbert Fradin in 2000. Listed as a historic monument, it now offers guided tours and hosts cultural events.