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Origin and history

The castle of Lupé, located in the east of the Loire department, is a castle built on a rocky base overlooking the gorges of Malleval. Its origin dates back to the late 12th or early 13th century with the construction of a square tower house, surrounded by a enclosure forming a courtyard. In the 15th century, it took on its present appearance by stretching around an inner courtyard, integrating the former dungeon into the northwest corner. A round road with mâchicoulis and a symbolic circular dungeon, with a pepper roof, complete its defensive system. The access, protected by a drawbridge and a ramp, was made by a single door to the south.

During the Renaissance, the lords of Lupé transformed the inner courtyard by adding windows with Corinthian splinters and capitals, reflecting the tastes of the era. A fire in the 17th century partially destroyed the round road and razed the circular dungeon, whose windows of the missing floor remain visible. The castle, originally owned by the Falatier family (formerly Falasterius) for more than five centuries, passed in 1598 to the Rostaing de la Baume, Counts of Suze. Ruined in the 18th century, the latter sold it in 1734, ending its association with the great local lords.

The castle of Lupé illustrates the architectural evolution of medieval fortresses towards more comfortable residences, mixing defensive elements (mâchicoulis, drawbridge) and Renaissance refinements (open windows, paved courtyard). Ranked a historic monument in 1981, it retains protected elements such as its inner courtyard, its spiral staircase, and French or caissoned ceilings. Its strategic location, controlling access to the Pilat plateau, highlights its historic role in defending and monitoring the Rhône valley.

The first written mention of a lord of Lupé dates back to 1066 with Guigo Falasterius, quoted in the cartular of Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue. The Falatier family, which emerged from this line, kept the castle until the 16th century, systematically transmitting it by female alliance. After 1734, the estate changed hands five times, marking the end of its anchoring in the local aristocracy. Today, its irregular "D"-shaped architecture, marrying the rock, shows its successive adaptations to military, residential and aesthetic needs.

The elements protected by the 1981 inscription include facades, roofs, the entrance gate, the inner courtyard with its paved floor, and several remarkable rooms. Among these, a room on the ground floor preserves a 16th century mural depicting the castle, while an alcove room on the first floor and rooms with ceilings on the upper floors illustrate its evolution towards a marina. The site, open to the visit, offers a representative example of the Rhônalpin castles, between medieval heritage and Renaissance influences.

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