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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of Menet is located in the commune of Montbron, in Charente, close to the Dordogne. Located on the right bank of the Tardoire, it dominates the valley from a baluster terrace. Its history dates back at least to the 13th century, when the estate belonged to the family of Céris, then passed by alliance to the La Faye in 1366. In the 16th century, Jeanne de La Faye married François de Lambertie, marking the beginning of a family possession of four centuries. The current house body, rectangular and flanked by three round towers with peppers, dates mainly from the last quarter of the sixteenth century, with alterations in the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: at the death of Pierre de Lambertie, the estate was divided between his four children, three of whom had emigrated. Marguerite, the only one left in France, inherited the castle by drawing lots. Lambertie's family retained Menet until 1941, when it was acquired by the Maccioni family. The private building features a remarkable architecture: a central tower with a monumental spiral staircase, a chapel in the eastern wing, and a south terrace with double staircase down to the river, modified under the Restoration.

The castle was listed as a historical monument on 26 June 1983 for its facades, roofs, towers and terrace. Although private property, it is exceptionally open during Heritage Days. Its interior retains typical elements such as a slatting floor in the kitchen, while the courtyard of honor, lined with communes, is closed by a grid framed by two guard pavilions. The openings of the southern façade, which were pierced or enlarged in the 19th century, reflect the successive adaptations of the building.

The archives mention that in 1780 the seigneurs of Menet had privileges in the church of Saint-Maurice de Montbron, including a family tomb and weapons painted on the pillars of the choir. These details illustrate the social importance of the seigneury, linked to both local power and the Church. The castle, symbol of this influence, today embodies a major architectural and historical heritage of the Charente, mixing medieval heritage, Renaissance and modern transformations.

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