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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Castle of the Dukes of Mortemart came into being in the 10th century, when Lord Abon Drut built a stone fortress in 995 after defending Bellac against William the Great, Count of Poitiers. This first castle, destroyed in the 14th century by the English, was rebuilt on another site before being dismantled by order of Louis XIII. It remained in ruins until the beginning of the 20th century, when a descendant of the Dukes of Mortemart purchased it and undertook its complete restoration, including the restoration of the moat.

The seigneury of Mortemart, attested before the year thousand, passed in 1205 by marriage to the family of Rochechouart, giving birth to an influential lineage. Among its most famous members are Françoise Athenaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan (favorite Louis XIV), and Louis-Victor de Rochechouart, general of galeries under the Sun King. The estate was erected as a marquisat in the 17th century, then in Duchy-Payrie by Louis XIV around 1650. The castle, classified as a historical monument in 1985, today embodies this aristocratic heritage.

The present site, organized in quadrilateral, preserves medieval remains like a vaulted cellar with seven vaults and a thick wall of the old castle fort. The moats, partially preserved in the east and west, were fed by a pond. The castle was placed under receivership and sold in 1791 during the Revolution, before being bought in the 19th century by the Ducale family. Its architecture thus combines medieval defensive elements and more recent developments, reflecting its evolution throughout the centuries.

The village of Mortemart, developed around this feudal motte, was deeply marked in the 14th century by Cardinal Pierre Gauvain, native of the places. This prelate founded three monasteries (Augustines, Carmes, Chartreux), a Hôtel-Dieu and a college, permanently transforming the urban landscape. Although religious communities have disappeared, their buildings, such as the church of Augustines or the convent of Carmelites, remain and contribute to the charm of this village classified as the Most Beautiful Villages of France.

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