42°52′32.7″N0°0′2.5″E / 42.875750°N 0.000694°E
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The Château de Sainte-Marie is a ruined castle in the commune of Esterre in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of France. [1]
42°52′32.7″N0°0′2.5″E / 42.875750°N 0.000694°E
The Château de Sainte-Marie is a ruined castle in the commune of Esterre in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of France. [1]
The only remains are a round tower and a square keep. The site is at an altitude of 630 metres and dominates the villages of Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Esquièze-Sère and Esterre. According to the Petit Futé guide, "the panorama is as famous as the stones". [2]
The castle was largely rebuilt by the English in the second half of the 14th century. Its enceinte is very narrow and it was clearly the base of a war leader and residence of a lord. The square, northern tower is pierced by arrowslits with crenellations at the summit. In the late 19th century the tower was being used as a barn and in a poor state. The round keep was in an equally distressed condition. [3]
Perched on the summit of a rocky outcrop, it was over the centuries a true strategic site for the protection of the valley and also a place of refuge for the population. Its construction dates from the 10th century by the Count of Bigorre, Centule III, [2] Its origin, however, seems older because the Arabs would have occupied it. [4] In the 14th century, it was occupied by the Knights Hospitaller. [5] Then the English took possession until 1404, when Jean de Bourbon, the Count of Clermont, [6] helped by the inhabitants of the valley commanded by Aougé de Coufitte, drove them out and put an end to the English occupation of the valley. [4] The castle was then gradually abandoned. [2]
The castle is privately owned. The remains were inscribed to the list of monument historiques in 1930. [1]
Its restoration was undertaken in the 1980s, thus saving one of the most outstanding vestiges of the history of the valley. [2] Until 1988, it was filled with brambles. Claude Massoure, then president of the commission syndicale, arranged a 30-year lease with the owners of the site, the Fontobo family. This allowed its consolidation and lighting to make the place now widely visited. This lease expired in 2018 and future access to the castle was in doubt [4] until a new lease was agreed with the owners in April. [7]
Arsène Lupin, the fictional gentleman thief, made a fantastic escape there by a tunnel. Many other legends are attached to the castle. [4]
The Château d'Angers is a castle in the city of Angers in the Loire Valley, in the département of Maine-et-Loire, in France. Founded in the 9th century by the Counts of Anjou, it was expanded to its current size in the 13th century. It is located overhanging the River Maine. It is a listed historical monument since 1875. Now open to the public, the Château d'Angers is home of the Apocalypse Tapestry.
Cruas is a commune near the river Rhône in the Ardèche department in southern France.
Les Andelys is a commune in the northern French department of Eure, in Normandy.
Kaysersberg is a historical town and former commune in Alsace in northeastern France. The name is German for Emperor's Mountain. The high fortress that dominates the town serves as a reminder of both its strategic importance and its warlike past.
Luz-Saint-Sauveur is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitania region of south-western France. It lies on the river Bastan, a tributary of the Gave de Pau. Its inhabitants are called Luzéens and Luzéennes in French. The town features locations of historical heritage such as the church of Saint-André, also known as "Les Templiers", the Château Sainte-Marie or the spa district. Protected by mountains to the east, west and south, and separated from the plain to the north by the Pierrefitte gorge, Luz-Saint-Sauveur is somewhat geographically isolated though it is only a 1⁄2 hour drive from Lourdes.
The Château de Blâmont is a castle built at the end of the 13th century in the French commune of Blâmont, in the département of Meurthe-et-Moselle.
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The Château Sainte-Marie is a castle dating from the second half of the 16th century, modified and altered during the 19th century, in the commune of Longages in the Haute-Garonne département of France.
The Château de Conros is a medieval castle, later heavily modified, situated in Arpajon-sur-Cère in the Cantal département of France.
The Château de Mirabat is a ruined castle dating from before the Middle Ages in the communes of Seix, Oust and Ustou in the Ariège département of France.
The Château Moncade is a ruined castle in the commune of Orthez in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France.
The Château de Saint Romain is a ruined castle in the commune of Siaugues-Sainte-Marie in the Haute-Loire département of France.
The Château de Bonneval is a castle in the commune of Coussac-Bonneval in the Haute-Vienne département of France.
The Château de Beaucens, is a 14th-century ruined castle in the commune of Beaucens in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of France. The site has been transformed into a zoological park, the "Donjon des Aigles", where one may admire birds of prey in flight around the ruins of the castle, with a view over the vallée des Gaves.
The Château de Horgues is a 15th-century castle, converted in later centuries into a modern residence, in the commune of Horgues in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of France.
The Tour de Moulor or Château de Moulor is a ruined castle or watch tower in the commune of Loudervielle in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of France.
The Château de Pézènes is a castle in the commune of Pézènes-les-Mines in the Hérault département of France.
The Château de Tramezaygues is a ruined castle in the commune of Tramezaïgues in the Hautes-Pyrénées département of France.
The Château de Ricey-Bas is a former castle, converted to a château, in the commune of Les Riceys, in the Aube département of France.