Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Marval came into being in the 13th–14th century, in a context of seigneurial rivalries between the Viscounts of Limoges and Rochechouart. In 1244, the seigneury of Marval was divided and finally assigned to the Rochechouart in 1252, despite persistent disputes until the 17th century. The first castle, called the Château de la Robertie, was adjacent to the church of the 12th century and formed a walled den with gate, as attested in 1447. This enclosed village, crossed by an axial street, housed houses and a toll on salt, reflecting its local economic role.

In 1503, the castle passed to the family of La Faye through the marriage of Louis de La Faye with Isabeau des Roberts. Their son, François, married Agnes de Lambertie in 1516, marking the alliance of these two lines whose coats of arms remain on the church and the castle. In 1569, the Calvinist troops of Admiral de Coligny partially destroyed the castle and the town as they marched towards the Battle of the Roche-l-Abeille. The reconstruction, initiated after 1577 by Jean de Lambertie (spouse of Catherine de Montfreboeuf), gives the castle its present appearance, mixing medieval remains and classic elements of the seventeenth century.

The present castle preserves traces of its successive phases: third-point doors and broken arched windows (XIIIth–XVth), silled bays (XVIth), and house bodies flanked by pavilions (XVIIth). The adjacent fortified barn, dated from the second half of the 16th century, bears witness to the defensive needs of the period, with its steeples and its round path. The ditches, the vaulted guard room, and the interior decorations (Louis XIII woodwork, painted ceilings) recall its evolution between seigneurial residence and stronghold.

In the 18th century, the castle changed hands several times: sold in 1794 by Emmanuel de Lambertie to Étienne Auvray de Saint-Remy, he then passed to the families David de Lastours, Garrigou-Lagrange, and then Durtel de Saint-Sauveur by marriage alliances. Partially classified as historical monuments in 1988 (facades and roofs), it illustrates the hybrid architecture of the Limousin, between medieval heritage and Renaissance.

The religious conflicts of the Wars of Religion (1569) and subsequent reconstructions have profoundly marked the site. The village, burned in 1569, rose in the early seventeenth century, as evidenced by the engraved dates (1600, 1610) on the houses. The château, permanently inhabited by the Lambertie, preserves traces of their presence, such as the coat of arms attached to those of the Roberts and Montfreboeuf, families linked to its history.

External links