Château de Lunas

En un regard

Le château en bref

Château de Lunas occupies the valley floor of the village, on the banks of the Gravezon, in the new commune of Lunas-les-Châteaux, created on 1 January 2025. It should not be confused with the Château de Dio, which is located in the same commune. In the Middle Ages, the seigneury was commanded by a fortress perched on the Redondel rock, first mentioned in 1118. In the aftermath of the Wars of Religion in Languedoc, this stronghold was dismantled in 1627 on the orders of the Duke of Montmorency, governor of the province, as part of the wider destruction of fortifications that accompanied the pacification of Protestantism in the south. Rather than rebuilding the old eagle's nest, Henri de Narbonne had a seigneurial residence built in 1641 lower down, near the river: this is the present building, which the tourist office describes as a 17th-century château. Secondary sources mention an extension and alterations around 1880. Having remained in private hands, the building has housed a restaurant since 1983, founded by its owner and installed in the vaulted rooms; access is by a private footbridge that is attributed, without certainty, to the Eiffel company (1903). The establishment is currently listed as temporarily closed, and no organised visits to the château are known.