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Origin and history

The castle of Angles-sur-l'Anglin is attested from 1025 as a stronghold monitoring the border between Poitou, Touraine and Berry. Located on a rocky piton overlooking the Anglin, it originally belonged to the Barons of Angles, Suzerans of the Lords of Luzignan. In the 13th century, it came under the control of the bishops of Poitiers, who made it a centrepiece of their defensive system around the cathedral. The site, strategic, is mentioned as property of the bishopric until the Revolution, after being bought from the family of Lezay in the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the castle played a key role during the Hundred Years' War. Guichard III, lord of Angles and Senechal of Saintonge, was appointed Marshal of Guyenne in 1356 when the Poitou fell under English domination. In 1372 Bertrand Du Guesclin took over the English castle after a siege. The local legend evokes a "English trench", a staircase carved in the cliff, supposed to have allowed a night catch of the site. These events illustrate its military importance in Franco-English conflicts.

The 15th and 16th centuries marked a period of transformation and unrest. The bishops Hugues de Combarel and Guillaume de Charpagne undertake important works, building a "new castle" and reshaping the 12th century Romanesque dungeon. However, the 16th and 17th centuries saw the monument change hands several times: taken by Protestants, leaguers, royals, and then slingers. Delayed by the bishops in the 18th century for financial reasons, he was allowed to abandon in 1708 before serving as a public career after 1793.

Saved from the destruction in the 20th century, the castle was classified as a historical monument in 1926 after its acquisition by the Western Antiquarian Society in 1923. Since 1986, it belongs to the municipality of Angles-sur-l-l-Anglin. Its imposing remains, including a foothill dungeon, towers (prison, chapel, "onions"), and a double enclosure, testify to its architectural evolution from the 11th to the 15th century. The site, open to the public, still dominates the village and the confluence of the Anglin and the Gartempe.

The defensive organization of the castle reflects medieval techniques: a ditch carved in the rock bar leperon, while the square dungeon, flanked by cylindrical foothills, separates two inner courtyards. The "English trench", a reworked natural flaw, and the castral chapels recall its dual role as fortress and episcopal residence. The remains, although partially destroyed, offer a remarkable example of poitevin military architecture, marked by conflicts and successive adaptations.

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