Château d'Esparron-de-Verdon

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château d'Esparron-de-Verdon overlooks the village of Esparron-de-Verdon and the Lac de Verdon, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The site is mentioned as early as the early Middle Ages as a lookout post, and then appears in documents from the 11th century onwards, notably in the statutes of the bailiwick of Digne in 1237–1238. In 1226, the estate passed into the hands of the Castellane family through the marriage of Agnès Spada to Boniface V de Castellane, and the family has kept it ever since, except during the Revolutionary period, when the building was sold as national property in 1791 and later bought back by the family. The keep, built before 1248 and raised after 1411, is the oldest surviving element; the buildings were completed in successive campaigns up to the 18th century, resulting in an ensemble that combines several architectural periods, including a stone spiral staircase. The keep was listed (classé) as a monument historique by decree of 6 March 1979, with the façades and roofs registered (inscrits) on the same date, and the north wing registered on 18 January 2013. Still privately owned by the Castellane family, the château opens to the public occasionally, notably during the European Heritage Days.