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Origin and history

Jayac dungeon is a 12th century castle in the village of Jayac, Dordogne, New Aquitaine. This deconstructed dungeon, accessible by a broken arched porch, presents narrow murderers and remains of walls. It bears witness to the medieval military architecture of the Black Perigord, an area marked by conflicts between local lords and the wars of Religion.

Originally Jayac's land depended on Turenne's viscount. In 1251 she was divided between Raymond VI de Turenne and his sister Hélis, wife of Rudel Hélie d'Aillac. Their daughter, Marguerite de Bergerac, donated it in 1282 to Bernard Alboin, canon of Saint-Junien, who exchanged it in 1299 for other goods. The dungeon then passed into the hands of the family of War, then the Carbonnières, which kept it until the 19th century.

During the Wars of Religion, the Carbonnières, who remained Catholic, resisted the Protestants of the Viscounty of Turenne. In 1575 Gautier de Carbonnières, captain of Jayac, and his brother Charles, leaguer, were involved in local conflicts. The dungeon, probably already ruined in the 16th century, was completed in 1590 by a chestnut and a round tower built by Léonarde and Catherine de Carbonnières. The latter bequeath the seigneury to their brother, Dean of Sarlat.

In the 18th century, the seigneury of Jayac was held by clergymen of the Carbonnières family. In 1775, an abbot envisaged repairs estimated at 5,500 pounds, but only the most urgent ones were carried out. During the Revolution, the fief was burned in 1790, and Louis de Carbonnières, the last seigneur, emigrated in 1792. His property is confiscated like that of an emigrant. The castle remained in the family until 1875 and was registered for historical monuments in 1948.

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