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The Château de Larroque-Toirac is a mediaeval
Château de Larroque-Toirac website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larroque Toirac, Chateau De Castles in Lot Monuments historiques of Lot (department) Historic house museums in Occitania (administrative region) Museums in Lot (department)
The Château de Larroque-Toirac is a mediaeval castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
in the '' commune'' of Larroque-Toirac
Larroque-Toirac (; Languedocien: ''La Ròca de Toirac'') is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France.
Overlooked by a medieval castle, the village lies halfway between Figeac and Cajarc in the valley of the Lot.
The castle (C ...
in the Lot
Lot, LOT, The Lot or similar may refer to:
Common meanings Areas
*Land lot, an area of land
*Parking lot, for automobiles
*Backlot, in movie production
Sets of items
*A great many of something, as in, "There are a lot of beetles," or "There are ...
''département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...
'' of France. Its origins go back to the 13th century and it was modified at various times up to the last quarter of the 17th century.
Hanging from the side of a high cliff and dominating the village and the valley of the river Lot
Lot, LOT, The Lot or similar may refer to:
Common meanings Areas
*Land lot, an area of land
*Parking lot, for automobiles
*Backlot, in movie production
Sets of items
*A great many of something, as in, "There are a lot of beetles," or "There are ...
in an exceptionally defensive site, the castle, which was on several occasions taken by the English, has preserved its mediaeval defence system.
Built as a fortified site in the 13th century, an ''enceinte
Enceinte (from Latin ''incinctus'' "girdled, surrounded") is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the positio ...
'' was developed during the 14th. A new castle was built in the second half of the 15th century. Decoration from around 1515–1531 survives, as well as work carried out in the 17th century.
The seigneurial residence, where the original kitchen remains, includes chimneys from the 15th century as well as frescos from the 16th century. The cliff behind the castle contains caves which served as trogloditic habitations in ancient times.
The castle entered the Wagner-Autesserre family in 1923. Previously, it had been used by the town hall of Larroque-Toirac as a school or accommodation for teachers.
In 1926, the castle was added to the supplementary list of historic monuments by the French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...
, though this was later annulled. It was classified as a ''monument historique
() is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...
'' in 1995. Though privately owned, the castle is open to visitors every summer.
See also
*List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Regions of France, region and Departments of France, department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are p ...
References
External links
*Château de Larroque-Toirac website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larroque Toirac, Chateau De Castles in Lot Monuments historiques of Lot (department) Historic house museums in Occitania (administrative region) Museums in Lot (department)