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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Sault Castle is an ancient fortress erected in the 12th century on a castral motte in Sault-de-Navailles, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Located on the historical border between Aquitaine and Béarn, it dominated the Luy-de-Béarn valley and the main street (current rue de France). This strategic site was used to control passages and to monitor movements from its tower, about 15 metres high.

In the 13th century, the castle became the issue of conflicts between English (like the Brocas family) and Béarnais for the suzerainety of Sault's Viscounty. He received several seats: taken by Simon V de Montfort in 1249, his dungeon was shot down in 1263 by order of the local lord, an ally of Gaston VII de Béarn. In 1273 Gaston de Béarn was even imprisoned by Edward I of England. The siege of the Duke of Anjou in 1374 finished to weaken the fortress.

Until 2021, only a rectangular tower with thick walls and vestiges of the wall remained. The dungeon, composed of two floors accessible by hatches, was overlooking an inner courtyard where buildings were probably located like a house body. The tower collapses permanently during storm Justine, on the night of January 31 to February 1, 2021. The castle has been listed as historical monuments since 1998.

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