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Origin and history

Châlus-Maulmont Castle, also known as the Fort Tower, was built between 1275 and 1280 by Géraud de Maulmont, advisor to the Viscountess Marguerite de Bourgogne, on the lands of the seigneury of Chalusset. Placed on a hill facing the châlus-chabrol castle, it combined prestige and defense, surrounded by a enclosure forming a castrum. The house, 36 meters quadrilateral by 13.60 meters, was flanked by two towers, one of which, 33 meters high, still dominates the landscape. The site served as a prison until 1850 before being returned to the Bourbon Busset family.

Over the centuries, the castle suffered major deterioration: dismantled during the Wars of Religion, its stones were reused as a career during the French Revolution. In 1888, architect Jules Tixier alerted him to his precarious state, before the spectacular collapse of the southeast tower in 1994, burying houses without causing any casualties. Ranked a historic monument in 1981, it was bought in 1989 by the Maulmont family and integrated into the Richard Cœur de Lion tourist road.

A persistent historical error associated Châlus-Maulmont with the death of Richard Lion's Heart in 1199, while the event took place at the nearby château of Châlus-Chabrol. Today, the site, owned by a family SCI, benefits from a restoration project (1 million euros) supported by the Lotto du Patrimoine in 2025, aimed at consolidating the remains and opening it to the public. Excavations and studies, such as those of INRAP in 2012, still reveal details of its original architecture, including rooms served by wall staircases and windows with geminied bays.

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