Castel de la Hierce
CastleHidden Treasure
Castel de la Hierce, located in Brantôme (Dordogne), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Castle
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Brantôme, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.3627, 0.6513
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082404
Standing on the wooded heights of Brantôme, Castel de la Hierce displays the discreet elegance of the Périgord Renaissance: round towers, mullioned windows and blonde Périgord stone make up a picture of rare coherence.
History
In the heart of the Périgord Vert region, a stone's throw from the Benedictine abbey for which Brantôme is famous, Castel de la Hierce is set in a landscape of gentle valleys and oak forests that the kings of France themselves used for hunting. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1892, this sixteenth-century château belongs to a generation of buildings that, while lacking the excessiveness of the great royal residences, embodies all the grace of the French Renaissance in the provinces. What makes Castel de la Hierce so special is precisely its intimate scale. Neither an intimidating fortress nor an ostentatious château de plaisance, it embodies the ideal of the Périgord gentleman's residence: a dwelling designed to inhabit the land as naturally as the walnut trees and limestone cliffs that surround it. The warm blonde Périgord stone, carefully carved into the mullioned window frames and moulded cornices, bears witness to the skills of the local stonemasons who, by the 16th century, had fully assimilated the architectural vocabulary imported from Italy. The visitor experience offers a plunge into a rural aristocratic France often overlooked in favour of the châteaux of the Loire. Walkers who are sensitive to authenticity will appreciate the serenity of the surroundings, the way in which the building interacts with its natural environment and the quality of the Périgord light which, in the late afternoon, saturates the stone with a golden hue that is absolutely photographic. The setting of Brantôme further enhances the interest of the site: nicknamed "the Venice of Périgord" for its arms of the Dronne, the town offers an exceptional heritage ensemble in which the Castel de la Hierce is a precious chapter, more confidential but no less precious than the neighbouring abbey.
Architecture
Castel de la Hierce is in the tradition of 16th-century Périgord seigneurial residences, which combine the last remaining medieval defensive reflexes - flanking round towers, thick masonry - with Renaissance decorative features. The ground plan features a main building, probably rectangular, flanked by circular towers that keep watch over the surrounding area and punctuate the composition of the façade in a pattern that was widespread in Périgord between 1520 and 1560. The blond limestone quarried locally is the only material used for the elevations, giving the building the warm colours so characteristic of Périgord architecture. The stone mullioned window surrounds, sculpted modillion cornices and dormer railings betray the influence of models from the Loire and Île-de-France regions, filtered through regional master builders. The roof, steeply pitched in accordance with local tradition, was covered with flat tiles or limestone lauzes, the dominant materials in the north of Périgord. Inside, the typical layout of these Renaissance homes includes large rooms with monumental fireplaces adorned with pilasters and bas-relief friezes, and a spiral staircase or straight banisters whose shaft often forms the centrepiece of the interior composition. These spaces, designed for pomp and ceremony as much as for everyday use, reflect the aspirations of a provincial nobility keen to rival, on a smaller scale, the splendour of the royal residences on the Loire.
Related Figures
Pierre de Bourdeille, dit Brantôme — abbé commendataire de l'abbaye voisine (1558), chroniqueur de la cour, figure centrale de la vie culturelle périgourdine du XVIe siècleFamille seigneuriale de la Hierce — commanditaires présumés de la construction au XVIe siècle, représentants de la petite noblesse périgourdineProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, dont l'action nationale prépara la reconnaissance officielle de l'édificeCharles VIII — roi de France dont les campagnes d'Italie (1494) introduisirent en Périgord le vocabulaire Renaissance adopté dans les châteaux de la génération du Castel de la Hierce
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Castel de la Hierce located?
Castel de la Hierce is located in Brantôme, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Castel de la Hierce built?
Castel de la Hierce dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Castel de la Hierce open to visitors?
Castel de la Hierce is currently closed to visitors.
