En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château de Labeaume is a medieval fortified castle clinging to a sheer cliff overlooking the village of Labeaume, in the Ardèche. Its base enclosure, of masonry pierced with putlog holes, dates back to the 12th century; walls were raised in the 15th century above a reused rock terrace, and a narrow access passage to the north, equipped with a murder hole, was built in the 16th century. The site, which incorporates troglodytic shelters fitted out in the rock, could only be reached through this northern passage. From 1288 the seigneury was shared among eight co-lords, before Dragonnet de Joyeuse became its suzerain lord in 1302. The castle then passed to the House of Rohan-Soubise through the duchy of Joyeuse, and was acquired before 1789 by J.-L. Tardy, whose son represented the nobility at the Estates General of 1789. A partly troglodytic castle town (bourg castral) had developed around the fortifications.