The Château de Villandraut is a ruined
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the ''
commune'' of
Villandraut in the
Gironde
Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1, ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...
'' of France.
It was constructed between 1305 and 1312 by Bertrand de Goth
after he was elected to be
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V ( la, Clemens Quintus; c. 1264 – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his de ...
.
History
Bertrand de Goth was born in Villandraut and maintained throughout his life a special affection for his region of origin. This sumptuous castle was destined to serve as his residence during his stays in Guyenne (
Aquitaine
Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Januar ...
).
The south tower of the castle was destroyed in 1592 as part of the
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mil ...
, when forces of the
Catholic League took refuge inside and
Henry IV's army fired on the castle with 1,260 cannons to push them to a surrender.
Modern ownership and excavation
The castle has been classified since 1886 as a ''
monument historique'' by the
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual ...
.
It is owned by Norbert Fradin, a Bordeaux estate developer.
During excavations of the castle in 2010, many things were revealed about its construction including disturbed trenches west of the main bridge in the south area. Excavations in 2015 found stone beneath the ground serving as the base for a staircase.
See also
*
Château de Budos
The Château de Budos is a ruined castle north of the village of Budos, in the Gironde ''département'' of France.
History
The Château de Budos is largely the work of Raymond Guilhem de Budos, nephew of Pope Clement V. Originally built by his ...
, nearby castle also associated with Clement V
*
List of castles in France
This is a list of castles in France, arranged by Region and Department.
;Notes:
# The French word ''château'' has a wider meaning than the English ''castle'': it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or viney ...
References
External links
*
*
Association Adichats managers of Villandraut and nearby
Château de Budos
The Château de Budos is a ruined castle north of the village of Budos, in the Gironde ''département'' of France.
History
The Château de Budos is largely the work of Raymond Guilhem de Budos, nephew of Pope Clement V. Originally built by his ...
*
Château de Villandraut on Richesheures.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villandraut, Chateau de
Historic house museums in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Museums in Gironde
Ruined castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Monuments historiques of Gironde