Château de Marqueyssac
CastleHidden Treasure
Château de Marqueyssac, located in Vézac (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
- Vézac, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8238, 1.1628
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083058
Perched on the limestone cliffs overlooking the Dordogne, Marqueyssac unfurls its vertiginous topiary gardens and its seventeenth-century ramparts within a breathtaking setting of Périgord greenery.
History
Nestling on a rocky promontory jutting out over the meandering Dordogne, Château de Marqueyssac is one of the most spectacularly situated residences in the Périgord Noir. Its main building, flanked by two pavilions set at right angles to each other, and its round staircase tower dominate a landscape that 19th-century painters never failed to sketch: vineyards, oak forests, stone villages and a lazy river stretching as far as Beynac and La Roque-Gageac. What really sets Marqueyssac apart from its many neighbouring castles is the insolent majesty of its hanging gardens. Kilometres of paths lined with boxwood cut into perfect waves and spheres wind around the cliffside, creating a labyrinth of vegetation whose shapes evoke both the French garden and a Baroque sculpture in the open air. The estate is one of the finest examples of topiary in France. The visit begins at the belvedere overlooking the Dordogne, from which you can see the whole of the tableau vivant stretching to the horizon. You then head up to the outbuildings and the manor house itself, whose west facade features the round tower characteristic of late-Renaissance Périgord buildings. The extensive ramparts that encircle the promontory bear witness to a defensive design that has been carefully maintained despite successive alterations. The Marqueyssac estate is also a lively place: at weekends in the summer, candlelit evenings transform the boxwood lanes into a ghostly theatre, while morning strollers find a rare tranquillity in this busy tourist area. Families, horticultural enthusiasts, photographers in search of perspective and history buffs all find something to do here.
Architecture
Château de Marqueyssac is a perfect example of the type of Périgord manor house built during the Renaissance-classical transition, combining defensive concerns with a growing concern for residential comfort. The main building is arranged around two pavilions set at right-angles to each other, creating a light inner courtyard facing the plateau and sheltered from the prevailing winds. On the west facade, a round tower houses the staircase, a recurring feature of 17th-century Périgord architecture that reflects both a functional need and a regional stylistic tradition. The materials used are those of the region: the blond Périgord Noir limestone, quarried from the surrounding cliffs, gives the building the warm colour that blends so naturally with the green landscape. The ramparts are the most imposing part of the defensive system. Thick and well-preserved, they encircle the entire promontory and bear witness to a serious military design, even if their purpose has become more symbolic over the centuries. On the garden side, the successive terraces carved into the limestone rock are a remarkable feat of engineering: the dry stone retaining walls that hold them up represent several centuries of patient maintenance. The topiary paths, several kilometres long, wind in gentle curves, punctuated by belvederes carved into the rock, offering plunging views over the Dordogne, some of them culminating more than 130 metres above river level.
Related Figures
Famille de Caumont — grande lignée noble du Périgord, propriétaire du domaine au XVIIe siècle lors des principales campagnes de constructionBertrand de Marqueyssac — seigneur éponyme médiéval ayant vraisemblablement établi les premières fondations du manoir au XVe siècleJulien de Cerval — propriétaire du XIXe-XXe siècle à qui l'on doit la restauration des jardins topiaires et la mise en valeur des allées de buisLes gabariers de la Dordogne — mariniers dont les convois fluviaux étaient surveillés depuis les remparts, acteurs oubliés de l'économie locale médiévale
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Château de Marqueyssac located?
Château de Marqueyssac is located in Vézac, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Château de Marqueyssac built?
Château de Marqueyssac dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Château de Marqueyssac open to visitors?
Château de Marqueyssac is currently closed to visitors.
