En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château-Haut overlooks the bastide of Lisle, in the Dordogne, standing on higher ground than the Château-Bas, which it complemented in the defence of the town. A fortified castle is recorded there as early as 1129 and again in 1211, owned by the Saint-Astier family, co-lords of Lisle. Devastated during the Wars of Religion, the main residence was rebuilt at the end of the 16th century on the ruins of the earlier medieval building. The present house retains a staircase with straight landings carried by fluted, truncated-cone columns, adorned with carved corbels and topped by a ceiling with scrollwork, built during the reign of Henri IV; its balusters, added later, date from the reign of Louis XIII. A bartizan and mullioned windows recall the defensive character of the whole. The 16th-century interior staircase has been listed as a historic monument (inscrit) since 23 November 1942. The château remains private property.