Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Dun-sur-Auron Castle, also called "La Salle-le-Roi" or "Royal Palace", is located in the heart of the city of the same name, in the department of Cher. Its construction began in the first quarter of the 13th century, in 1202, with the construction of its main door, often confused with a dungeon and nicknamed "gate of the Clock". This gate provided access to the second fortified enclosure of the city, strengthening the defence of the old fortification named Chatel Old. At the end of the 14th century, a new phase of construction changed the eastern part of the enclosure, and the door lost its main entrance role, while retaining its belfry function.

In the 11th century, the castle was the residence of the Viscounts of Dun-sur-Auron before being bought and rebuilt by Philippe I around 1100. The city, then called "Duno" (attested in 1095), became a Capetian royal bastion in 1101, with a wall. Between 1202 and 1203, Philippe Auguste built courtes, towers and a dungeon, reinforcing his defences. In the 14th century, after a bag in 1430, the castle was rebuilt, then partially transformed into a prison and court in the 17th and 19th centuries.

The "Horloge Gate", a square plan with two turrets from the corner, is inspired by the keep of Bourges (1190) and the architectural style of the medieval Louvre (1200–1300). Ranked a historic monument in 1913, it now houses a museum after major restorations, notably in 1856 (roof) and in the 15th century (helical carriage and staircase).

The castle is situated in a geographical context marked by the Auron Valley and the Berrichonne Champagne. In the Gallo-Roman era, Dun-sur-Auron was crossed by a road connecting Bourges to Lyon. In the Middle Ages, the city, the third agglomeration of Berry after Bourges and Issoudun, played a strategic role on the Bourbonnais border. The medieval building covers three central squares: the Halle, the Châtelet and the boulevard du Midi.

External links