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Origin and history

The castle of Romefort is a former castle built between 1180 and 1190 by Gaudin de Romefort, first known lord. Located on the left bank of the Creuse, 900 metres from the church of Ciron, it controlled a strategic ford. The dungeon, defensive heart, is built of cut stone with four floors and an exterior staircase. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, the castle passed into the hands of the Culant and Sully families, before being acquired in 1548 by Pierre de Segondat, General of Finance of Guyenne. A legal dispute then between the Segondat and the Sully, resolved in 1597 by Jean d'Harambure (called the Borgne), which unifies the estate after his marriage with Marie de Segondat.

In the 17th century, Protestant Harambure actively managed the estate until the revocation of the edict of Nantes (1685), forcing them into exile. The castle was then fragmented after the Revolution, passing to the Marquis of Belabre, then to the family of Bondy in the 19th century. Between 1872 and 1877, a major restoration was carried out by architect Alexandre Arveuf-Francsquin in the troubadour style, with partial destruction of the old wings and reconstruction of the dungeon. In 1921, a perpendicular wing was added by Henry Dauvergne. The site is partially classified as Historic Monument in 1993 and 1994, including dungeon, mill, and defensive elements.

The house, 30 meters high, combines seigneurial residence and defenses (four round towers, twelve steeples). The dungeon, made of cut stone, preserves a dogive vault on the ground floor and a dome in its stair tower. The covers combine tiles, slates and stone, reflecting the construction campaigns (XII, XV, XVII and XIX centuries). The castle is also known as the place of conversion of Foucauld's father by the Countess of Bondy. Architectural surveys (1859) and unrealized projects (such as a flamboyant Gothic reconstruction) testify to its complex evolution.

Protected features include dungeon defences, west/northwest courtesies, home fronts, and remains of the southern enclosure. The mill, modified in the 19th century, completes the whole. The departmental archives of Indre and studies such as those of Jean Mesqui (1987) and Henri de Forbin (1931) document his history, linked to the noble families of Berry and successive architectural transformations.

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