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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Château-Larcher Castle, located in the department of Vienna in New Aquitaine, is a medieval vestige overlooking the village of the same name. Its origins date back to the ninth century, where a first castrum (Carolingian stronghold) was mentioned under the name Castrum Acardi in 976, including a tower, a chapel and a mill. This strategic site controlled the upper Clain valley and the roads to Angoulême and Bordeaux. The fortress was successively owned by local lords, then confiscated by Saint Louis in the 13th century after the revolt of Hugues X of Lusignan, an ally of the English. Shaved in retaliation, the castle was rebuilt before being damaged during the Hundred Years War (occupied by the English from 1300 to 1372) and the Wars of Religion (destroyed twice by the Protestants).

In the 16th century, the Rochechouart de Mortemart inherited (1504-1686) and partially restored it, but the castle was gradually abandoned in the 17th century, even serving as a stone quarry during the Revolution. Today, there are only ruins classified or listed in the Historical Monuments: the castelet with its two towers (XIVth century, classified in 1912), a pentagonal dungeon (XIIIth century) and inner moats. The site now houses the tourist office and is a symbol of the Poitevin defensive heritage, marked by centuries of conflict and reconstruction.

The castle is part of a wider historical landscape, including Neolithic dolmens (ca. -3500 BC) on the plateau of Thorus, a 13th century lantern of the dead, and a Romanesque church (Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Cyprien, XII century) integrated into the fortifications. These elements bear witness to a continuous human occupation since the fourth millennium BC, with Gallo-Roman traces (II century altar at Baptress) and medieval. The municipality, labeled "Little City of Character", values this heritage through events such as the annual medieval festival, attracting thousands of visitors.

Architecturally, the castle illustrates the evolution of defensive techniques: the dungeon, built on a rocky spur, dominated the surroundings, while the castelet, equipped with a harrow and a drawbridge (now replaced by a dormant bridge), protected the entrance. The lathes, crowned with slots, and moats (battered later) reflect adaptations to conflicts, especially against the English and Protestants. Recent excavations and restorations (like those of the stained glass windows of the chapel of Baptresse in 2013) preserve this heritage, while revealing its central role in local history, between seigneurial power, religion and community life.

The toponomy of Château-Larcher, fixed in the 17th century after 18 variations (like Chastel-Acherd or Le Rocher in 1789), reflects its turbulent history. The village, organized in the form of a "Y" around the castle, also preserves historical hamlets (Baptresse, Thorus) and remarkable religious buildings, such as the lantern of the dead (XIIIth century, classified in 1840) or the former parish church transformed into a stable. These elements, combined with natural hazards (floods of the Clouère) and traditional agricultural activities (breeding, cereals), draw the identity of a rural commune where heritage and collective memory remain alive.

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