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Origin and history

The castle of Mellet, located in the Black Perigord in Beauregard-de-Terrasson (Dordogne), is mentioned for the first time in 1467 under the name of Repayrium de Meleto. The present building, built in the second half of the 17th century, replaces a medieval 13th century structure with foundations. It is distinguished by its sober architecture: a body of rectangular houses flanked by two pavilions, covered with a slate roof. Nearby, the cross of the Mellet, perhaps a hosanary cross or rogations, recalls its religious and seigneurial anchor.

The seigneury of Mellet, vassal of the bishop of Angoulême, belonged to several noble families: the Mellet, Albret, Losse, Campagniac, Combret de Marcillac and Boishamon. In 1811, Arnaud Combret de Marcillac acquired the estate, where his descendant, Louis Léger Combret de Marcillac, resided as mayor of Beauregard-de-Terrasson. The castle also played a role during the Second World War: in July 1944, it hosted an operation by the Resistance led by Roger Ranoux (alias Hercules), aimed at recovering food.

The interior retains remarkable elements, such as a stone staircase decorated with stuccos and a living room with original woodwork. The facades and roofs, as well as those of the communes, have been protected since 2 February 1990 by an inscription in the Historical Monuments. The castle thus illustrates the evolution of a perigordin seigneury, between medieval heritage, classical transformations and resistant memory.

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