Tower of Durfort

En un regard

Le château en bref

Standing in the middle of the village of Durfort, at the foot of the Cévennes in the Gard, the seigneurial tower is the main surviving witness of the former castle of Durfort, most of which dates back to the 12th century. Its construction is attributed to the Bermond de Sauve, powerful vassals of the Counts of Toulouse. Four storeys high, each occupied by a single room, it is built of regular masonry in which numerous rusticated bossed stones stand out. A square building extended it; this was later raised, topped with a roof with a génoise eaves cornice, and its openings were reworked in the 19th century. After passing to the Crown in 1243 and then partly to the bishops of Maguelone, the lordship saw its holders abandon the old castle in the 17th century for a house on the main street. Sold off in lots in 1775, the ensemble nearly lost its tower, which was sold as a quarry in 1861 before being bought back by the Cadolle family. The tower and the north wing, privately owned, have been listed as historic monuments since 2008.