Lavoûte-Polignac Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Overlooking a meander of the Loire, at Lavoûte-sur-Loire, Lavoûte-Polignac Castle was the favourite residence of the House of Polignac. The site first appears in 1251, when the abbot of Tournus entrusted the priory of La Voûte to Armand de Polignac. The keep and fortifications were erected in the 14th century by Randon-Armand X; at the end of the 16th century, François-Armand XVI added the great main range and a stone bridge over the river, and then Gaspard-Armand XVIII remodelled the whole in the following century, as attested by the armorial stone of 1634 above the main gateway. Sold as national property in 1793 after the emigration of the Polignacs, the castle served for a time as a quarry, before being bought back by the family in the 19th century and largely rebuilt according to the former layout; Melchior de Polignac restored the south wing. Four corner towers, three wings and an inner keep are enclosed within a double enceinte of grey volcanic stone and ochre from the Emblavez. The castle, still owned by the Polignac family, has been listed in its entirety as a monument historique since 2022.