Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Matha found its origins in the 9th century, when Wulgrin, Count of Angoulême, erected a first castral moth around 866. This strategic site then passes into the hands of Isabelle, the widow of John without Earth, who gives it to her son Henry III of England. In 1242, King Saint Louis (Louis IX) ordered the destruction of the castle and its big tower before the Battle of Taillebourg, marking a period of tension between the kingdoms of France and England.

During the Hundred Years War, Matha was repeatedly conquered and conquered by the English, before remaining permanently under the control of the Montberon family. In 1558 Jacquette de Montberon brought the dowry to André de Bourdeilles, whose family kept the castle until the Revolution. In 1621, Queen Mother Anne of Austria briefly stayed there during the siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, stressing her strategic importance.

On the architectural level, the present castle is reduced to a Renaissance pavilion built between 1582 and 1587 under the direction of Jacquette de Montbron. This pavilion, composed of two square towers with slate roofs and decorated with mâchicoulis, bears witness to the stylistic influence of the time. The site, partially preserved, was listed as historical monuments in 1948, with an additional classification of facades and roofs in 1952.

Today, Matha Castle is accessible to the public, although guided tours are reserved for groups on request. Its terter and remains offer a glimpse of its medieval and reborn past, while recalling the power struggles that have marked the region for centuries.

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