Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de la Roque in Meyrals, located in the Dordogne department in New Aquitaine, is a monument whose origins date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The building, of irregular plan, is structured around a square dungeon and two round towers with machicolis, characteristic of medieval defensive architecture. Its enlargement in the 16th century, during the Renaissance, added a body of houses between the towers, adorned with a splintlight and a porch defended by a rectangular mâchicoulis chestnut. A drawbridge and cruciform archères complete this protective device, while the house door bears the date of 1622, showing late transformations.

The interior of the castle houses a remarkable oratory, probably dating from the fourteenth century, installed on the ground floor of the dungeon. Its walls and vaults are covered with 15th and 17th century murals, depicting religious scenes such as the dead Christ, the Crucifixion, or the Annunciation. These frescoes, classified as Historical Monument in 1963, illustrate a mixture of medieval and reborn styles, with figures such as the four evangelists or Saint Francis of Assisi. The castle itself was included in the inventory of Historic Monuments in 1927, highlighting its heritage value.

The architecture of the castle reflects its evolution throughout the centuries: a medieval nucleus reinforced by defensive elements (donjon, mâchicoulis), then embellished by reborn additions (lucarnes, carved porch). The interior courtyard retains a Louis XII style door, while the paintings of the oratory offer a rare testimony of devotion and religious art in Périgord between the Middle Ages and the modern era. The accuracy of its location ( GPS coordinates and verified address) and its state of conservation make it an accessible and studied site, although some areas remain to be specified.

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