Construction of the square dungeon XIIe siècle (≈ 1250)
Jacket integrated into the current courtyard
1434
Start of reconstruction
Start of reconstruction 1434 (≈ 1434)
Guillaume de La Rochefoucauld erected the essentials of the castle
1745
Death of the Marquis de Bayers
Death of the Marquis de Bayers 1745 (≈ 1745)
Precedes the sale of the castle in 1760
1760
Sale to Jean-Michel Delage
Sale to Jean-Michel Delage 1760 (≈ 1760)
End of La Rochefoucauld-Bayers property
1988
Major restoration
Major restoration 1988 (≈ 1988)
Recovery of remaining buildings
18 septembre 1989
First MH protection
First MH protection 18 septembre 1989 (≈ 1989)
Foss and walls
22 avril 2003 et 2004
Protection extensions
Protection extensions 22 avril 2003 et 2004 (≈ 2004)
Logis, commons, garden and orangery registered
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The ditches and walls of the medieval southern and south-eastern enclosure; the walls of support east and north of the seventeenth century of the castle (Box B 799, 805, 807 to 809): inscription by decree of 18 September 1989 - All buildings (logis and commons) constituting the castle (Box B 799, 805): inscription by decree of 22 April 2003 - The floor of the plot corresponding to the old garden and orangery of the castle, as well as the surrounding walls (Box B 806): inscription by decree of 22 April 2004
Key figures
Guillaume de La Rochefoucauld - Lord Builder
Reconstructs the castle from 1434
Marquis de Bayers - Last noble owner
Died in 1745 before sale
Jean-Michel Delage - Acquirer in 1760
Purchase after the death of the Marquis
Origin and history
Bayers Castle, located in the village of Bayers (municipality of Aunac-sur-Charente, Charente), dominates the Charente River 30 km north of Angoulême. His history is not well known due to the disappearance of most archives. A first castle existed as early as the 11th century, but the current building dates mainly from the 15th century, built by Guillaume de La Rochefoucauld from 1434. It reuses older defensive elements, like a part of the 12th century square dungeon, still visible in the courtyard.
The castle was owned by a younger branch of the La Rochefoucauld family (known as La Rochefoucauld-Bayers) until 1760, when it was sold to Jean-Michel Delage after the death of the Marquis de Bayers in 1745. Divided and partially destroyed during the Revolution, it fell into ruins before being restored in 1988. The excavations and works revealed a primitive castral mot, dry moat, and a typical architecture of late reconstructions: crenellated round tower, covered round road, and rectangular house parallel to the Charente.
The site also includes an old castral chapel (now village church), a round dovecote, and remains of medieval walls. Protected in stages between 1989 and 2004, the castle illustrates the evolution of fortifications in Angoumois, from the medieval dungeon to the seigneurial residence of the Renaissance. Its inscription as Historic Monument covers the ditches, the enclosure walls, the house, the commons, and the traces of the old garden with its orangery.
The architecture combines defensive elements (cannons, shooting room, flat foothills) and residential elements (polygonal stair towers, dressing room on consoles). The round tower, with a conical roof, and the partial 12th century dungeon bear witness to the successive phases of construction. The castle, opened to the public in summer since its restoration, offers a rare example of transition between medieval fortress and aristocratic residence of Modern Times.
Archaeological sources and rare archives mention his role in the seigneurial network of La Rochefoucauld, a powerful family in Angoumois. The sale of 1760 and the revolutionary divisions marked its decline, before contemporary restorations allowed its preservation. Today, the site attracts for its stratified history and its panorama of the Charente valley.
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