Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Lucheux was built at the beginning of the 12th century by Hugues II de Campdavaine, Count of Saint-Pol, on an older castral mot attributed to Baudouin I of Flanders, son-in-law of Charles II le Chauve. The first written mention dates from 1147, when Hugues II replaced the wooden tower with a square stone dungeon. His great-grandson, Hugues IV, returned from the third crusade in 1192, reinforced the defences with mâchicoulis along the enclosure.

In the 13th century, Guy III de Châtillon-Saint-Pol, a large bottler of Louis IX, transformed the dungeon into a circular tower flanked by four turrets and adjusted a chapel and a large room. The site became a popular residence, welcoming Philip IV the Bel twice. During the Hundred Years' War, the castle suffered several English assaults (notably after Azincourt in 1415) before being repaired by Pierre I of Luxembourg-Saint-Pol.

The connétable Louis de Luxembourg-Saint-Pol, the king's brother-in-law, received Charles Le Témeraire (1462) and Louis XI (1464). After its execution in 1475, the castle passed to the Crown and was partially dismantled by Richelieu in 1640. The remains, classified in 1965, include a 2-hectare ovoidal enclosure, a hybrid dungeon (square base of the 12th, round tower of the 13th), a ruined chapel, and a 14th century castle with drawbridge.

The current ruins reveal an organization in high and low courtyard. The upper courtyard preserves the remains of the 20-metre dungeon, with vaulted rooms and latrines, as well as the large room with Gothic windows. The lower courtyard houses the "Porte du Bourg", flanked by two round towers of the 14th century, and courtesies pierced with mâchicoulis inspired by the crusades. The site, owned by the Picardie Antiquary Society, was occupied until 2012 by the Somme's PEP.

The history of the castle is marked by repeated seats: Imperials of Charles Quint (1522), Spanish (1552), Protestants (1567), and troops of Henry IV (1594-1595). Jean Bullant, a relative of Renaissance architect, supervised repairs after these destructions. In the 19th century, abandonment accelerated its degradation, before its classification and preservation efforts. The oriental influences, visible in the mâchicoulis, bear witness to the return of crusades of the lords of Lucheux.

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