Château de Retourtour

En un regard

Le château en bref

The ruins of the Château de Retourtour stand on a mound within a meander of the Doux, in the commune of Lamastre, in Ardèche, in the Haut-Vivarais. The castle is said to have been built in the 10th century by the Pagan-Retourtour family, who gave it its name. The site reportedly suffered major damage in the 14th century following family disputes over succession. The quadrangular building currently visible among the remains is attributed by a secondary source to the late Middle Ages, a period after the 14th-century destruction; the presence of an older keep, as early as the 13th century, is mentioned cautiously and without certainty. The site is also associated with a 17th-century local legend according to which a petty lord terrorised the inhabitants before being subdued by five noble dragoons, a tale that belongs to folklore rather than to established historical fact. Now in ruins, the site is not protected as a historic monument. It is freely open to the public all year round, free of charge, and has a picnic area and a playground nearby; access is, however, not suitable for wheelchairs.