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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Verteuil, mentioned in 1080 as the property of the lords of La Rochefoucauld, is a strategic fortress built on a rocky spur overlooking the Charente valley. Its position controlled the Limoges-La Rochelle axis, between Poitou, Limousin and Saintonge. The oldest remains, dating from the 11th century, include a Romanesque chapel rediscovered in 1958, while the walls of the 12th century, partially rebuilt in the 15th century, bear witness to its architectural evolution.

During the Hundred Years War (1337–1453), the castle changed hands several times between French and English. In 1361, Edward III of England seized by threatening to execute the guardian's brother. Repainted by Charles VII in 1442, it was dismantled and rebuilt by the La Rochefoucauld, which made it a Huguenot stronghold during the Wars of Religion (16th century). The future Henri IV, Catherine de Medici and Louis XIII stayed there. In 1650, during the Fronde, the royal troops of the Marshal of La Meilleraye severely damaged him, destroying the drawbridge and partially filling the ditches.

The French Revolution (1793) marked a turning point with an accidental fire that ravaged the large gallery, chapel and roofs. The family archives and portraits were burned by order of the Ruffec committee, while the medieval tapestries of the Unicorn Hunt, rediscovered in 1850 by a peasant who used them to cover his vegetables, were sold in 1923 to John D. Rockefeller Jr. and are now exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).

In the 19th century, the castle was restored in a romantic style by Hippolyte de La Rochefoucauld, with additions such as false murderers and a flamboyant balustrade. The architect Frantz Jourdain transformed in 1893 a 14th-century tower into an intellectual chapel library, decorated with paintings by Adrien Karbowsky. Archaeological excavations of the 20th century revealed remains of the 12th century, including a staircase leading to an unknown low chapel.

Ranked a historic monument in 1966 (facades and roofs) and in full in 2010, the castle remained in the La Rochefoucauld family until its sale in 2021, after nearly a thousand years of possession. Its triangular plan, its five conical towers and its 15th century square dungeon make it a rare example of medieval military architecture modified in modern and contemporary times.

The park, redesigned in the 19th century, lost its dry stone walls and lush 18th century gardens, but preserved traces of boxwood, basins and terraces. The castle served as a setting for the television film La Loi de Gloria (2017) and still houses archaeological remains in its courtyard and its northern ditches.

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