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Origin and history

The castle of Chamaret, mentioned as early as 1157 in the cartular of Richerenches, is a feudal fortress built between 1136 and 1157 under the impulse of Dodon I then Dodon II of Chamaret. This strategic site, built in a barred spur on a plateau overlooking the Lez valley, illustrates the 12th century defensive architecture with its two enclosures and a seven-storey square dungeon. The construction reflects family rivalries: after a division in 1254, Amalric de Chamaret, of the younger branch, erected the South Tower (future Tour du Colombier), while his older brother retained the primitive fortress. This division led to a shared suzerainety between the bishop of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and the Adhémar de Grignan, who took full control of the site in 1506.

The Wars of Religion weakened the fortress, already partially ruined by the collapse of its northern part in 1696 and the earthquake of 1772. In the 18th century, the Count of Muy acquired the county of Grignan, including Chamaret, until the Revolution. After being abandoned, the castle served as a stone quarry in the 19th century before being saved by a legacy in 1894: Xavier Sylvestre financed the restoration of the tower, transformed into a belfry with a bell, and the consolidation of the plateau. Excavations in 1995 reveal Roman foundations under the tower, suggesting a fourth century specula, as well as traces of medieval troglodytic habitat.

Today only remains of the two enclosures, the restored dungeon and two houses. The Tower of Chamaret, 30 meters high, intrigues archaeologists: its smooth facade, without murderers, evokes a tower with signals rather than a classic dungeon. Ranked to the additional inventory of Historic Monuments in 1992, the site bears witness to historical stratifications, from antiquity to feudal conflicts, and its role in medieval communication between the Counts of Grignan and the Templar Commandery of Richerenches.

The architecture reveals a defensive duality: to the north, the dungeon and the castral chapel dedicated to Saint Barthélemy (two-span nave and semi-circular apse); to the south, the house transformed into a dovecote in the 16th century. The 8-metre-wide artificial ditch, dug into the molasses, isolates the plateau, while the troglodytic remains on the slopes recall daily life around the castrum. The differences between the bishop and the Adhemar, until the eviction of the first to the end of the 15th century, mark his political history.

The restoration of 1894–95, albeit partial, preserved the tower by rearranging its interior and adding a retaining wall. Archaeological discoveries (Antique Tombs, currencies of Agrippa) confirm an early Roman occupation. Symbol of the seigneurial power of the Chamaret, then of the Grignan, the castle also embodies the mutations of medieval fortresses, passed from strongholds to ruins reinvested by local memory.

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