Château de Mayres

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Mayres, also known as the Château de Montlaur, stands in ruins in the hamlet of Vieux Mayres, on a rocky spur overlooking the Ardèche valley. The lords of Montlaur paid homage for it in the 14th century: in 1309, Guy de Montlaur paid homage to the Bishop of Le Puy for the “château de Mayres”, and in 1312 Pons de Veyrassac was its bayle (bailiff). Earlier, in 1280, Raymond de Jaujac had sold the seigneurial rights, including the toll, to Pons, lord of Montlaur. What survives today is a small 12th-century rectangular keep, built of irregular granite rubble, comprising a ground floor and two upper floors, whose entrance on the first level is topped by a round arch. A defensive ditch separates the keep from the remains of a bailey (basse-cour). The Chapel of Saint-Médard, located nearby and rebuilt in 1838, is said to have succeeded an earlier building dedicated to Saint Peter, mentioned in 1516. The site, in ruins, is now freely accessible.