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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Montbron, locally called Vieux Château, is attested before the 12th century under the name of Mons Berulphi. Its history is marked by successive destruction and reconstruction. In the 15th century, it was shaved by order of King Charles VII, then rebuilt by Marguerite de Rohan, Countess of Angoulême, whose Roman dungeon still remains. This castle, linked to noble families such as the Montberon and the Rohan, then became property of the Bourdeilles, then of the Loménies in the 17th century.

In the 17th century, the castle experienced notable interior developments, including two classified painted chimneys and a heraldic frieze of 1610 adorning the large hall. The dungeon was pierced by rectangular windows at that time. In the 19th century, the roof was rebuilt, but most outbuildings and gardens disappeared. Today, there is only one polygonal turret and remains of the dungeon, witness to its medieval and Renaissance past.

The castle was mentioned as early as 852 in a diploma from Charles le Chauve, confirming its seniority. Damaged during the Wars of Religion, it was partially restored before being acquired in 1699 by Étienne Chérade, whose family was dispossessed in the Revolution. Ranked Historic Monument in 1985, it now belongs to the commune of Montbron and retains rare architectural elements, such as a staircase in a hexagonal turret.

Architecturally, the castle consists of two squares, with a part in appenti to the south. The north facade retains a door in the middle of a walled hanger, possible vestige of the Romanesque building. The snout windows and murderers recall its defensive role, while the interior decorations (painted ceilings, heraldic shields) illustrate its evolution towards a seigneurial residence.

The site, today devoid of ramparts and gardens, offers a fragmentary but precious testimony of feudal and Renaissance history in Charente. Its partial classification (pathways and structure) in 1985 underscores its heritage interest, although its exact location (6134 Rampe de la Barbacanne) remains little known to the general public.

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