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Origin and history

The castle of Uzès, also called the Duchy, is a castle built from the eleventh century on the site of an ancient Roman castrum, in the heart of the medieval city of Uzès (Gard, Occitanie). It symbolizes the local feudal power, with its 42-metre dungeon (Bermonde Tower, 12th century), its ramparts, and a seigneurial house remodeled in the Renaissance. The site also includes ancient remains, such as a Roman gate reused at the entrance of the estate, framed by alpine granite columns and surmounted by ducal weapons.

The seigneury of Uzès, founded in the 11th century by Elzéart of Uzès, became a duchy in 1565 when Charles IX raised Antoine de Crussol to the rank of 1st Duke of Uzès, then Duke and pair of France in 1572. The castle, marked by the wars of Religion (the Protestant city was converted to Catholicism after 1566), was sold as a national good during the Revolution. Rached in 1824 by the 10th Duke, it houses a college before being restored in the 20th century by the Marquise of Crussol, with the support of André Malraux and the 1962 law on protected areas.

The architecture of the castle combines medieval defensive elements (donjon, tower of Vigia, 12th century) and Renaissance additions, such as the facade of 1566 attributed to Philibert Delorme, decorated with the three ancient orders (doric, ionic, Corinthian). The flamboyant Gothic chapel (16th century) has a roof in painted tiles with the Crussol weapons. The estate also includes springs that once fed the Pont du Gard's aqueduct, as well as a fountain and a house with "French" ceilings.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1889 and registered in 1934, the castle is now owned by the 17th Duke of Uzès, Jacques-Emmanuel de Crussol. It is part of the protected sector of Uzès (since 1978) and of the list of "Cities and Countries of Art and History" (2008). Its alignment with the towers of the King and Bishop illustrates the three medieval powers (royal, episcopal, ducal), while the Fenestrelle Tower (XII century) completes this emblematic urban landscape.

The Duchy of Uzès is remarkable for its dynastic continuity: the house of Crussol has reigned there for nine centuries, from the vicomte legion by Philip VI in 1328 (as a reward for bravery at the Battle of Cassel) until the title of ducal under Charles IX. The castle, open to the public, bears witness to this story through its furnished rooms (large 18th-century living room), its millennial cellars, and its medieval gardens.

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