Château de Beaudiner

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Beaudiner was the seat of a barony located on the boundary between the present-day communes of Saint-André-en-Vivarais and Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, on a rocky promontory overlooking the upper Doux valley, on the historic border between Velay and Vivarais. Attested as early as the 10th–11th century, the seigneury of Beaudiner was one of the baronies of Velay that held a vote in the Estates of Velay in the early 14th century. Over the centuries the castle passed several times from one family to another through marriage alliances. Taken by Protestant troops in 1572 during the Wars of Religion, it was recaptured and then dismantled by the Baron de Saint-Vidal in 1577. Some of its stones were reused locally, notably for the construction of the church of Saint-André-en-Vivarais in 1865. Today only scant remains of masonry survive; a local association, «Le Château de Beaudiner», continues historical research on the site.