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Origin and history

The castle of Mauzun, built in the 13th century on an ancient Gallo-Roman site, was first a fortress of the Counts of Auvergne before passing to the bishops of Clermont in 1207. Guy II, Count of Auvergne, then gave the castle to the bishop to avoid confiscation by the king of France, ally of the English. This transfer marks a strategic turning point: Mauzun becomes a royal control tool over the region.

Between 1230 and 1240, Bishop Hugues of the Tower completely rebuilt the castle according to the Philippian model, with three enclosures and twenty towers, making a major stronghold. The site, built in volcanic basalt, dominates the Limagne and symbolizes episcopal power. In 1369, he was taken by English roadmen before being released in 1385 by the Marshal of Sancerre.

During the Wars of Religion (XVI century), Mauzun was fought between Huguenots, Leaguers and Royalists. In 1589 he became the headquarters of the League in Auvergne, led by Bishop François de la Rochefoucauld, who submitted to the king in 1590. The castle then escaped destruction, but its decline began: dismantled in 1633 by royal order, it fell into ruin in 1650.

In 1792, confiscated as a national property, the castle was awarded to citizens who deprived it to sell its materials. In the 19th century, it was bought by the Saunier and Chalus families. Maurice Chalus restored a tower in 1913, but degradation continued. In the 1990s, youth volunteer projects cleaned the site, revealing paving.

Since 2001, the Charrier family has begun its safeguard, despite the partial collapse of a wall and the cessation of visits after the crisis of VOCID-19 (2019). Ranked a Historic Monument in 1970, the castle remains an exceptional testimony of medieval castral architecture, with its three tiered enclosures, its square dungeon and its sixteen hemicylindrical towers.

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