Saint-Geniès Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

North of Béziers, Saint-Geniès-de-Fontedit retains the circular outline of its former fortified village, and the seigneurial castle rises on the remains of that enclosure. Its position, built into the very defences of the village, recalls a time when the lord and the villagers shared the same protected perimeter. The building was later converted into a more comfortable residence, and its present interior layout dates essentially from the 17th century. Two features deserve particular attention: the great hall, whose chimneypiece is decorated with gypseries, the sculpted plaster ornaments much prized in Languedoc, and a round tower whose walls retain mural paintings. These parts have been listed as monuments historiques since 7 March 1997. The castle remains a private property and is not open to the public, but its silhouette remains inseparable from the old heart of the village.