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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Château de Poyaller, located in the commune of Saint-Aubin in the Landes department, is a building built at the end of the 13th century. It rises on an arased castral mot, typical of the medieval fortifications of the region. This monument, now in ruins, preserves a three-storey master tower whose floors have disappeared. The entrance door, located on the second level, was formerly accessible by a wooden structure and protected by a steeple. Originally, the interior distribution was probably by wooden stairs or milling ladders. A rectangular house, now reduced to a wall section, completed the residential complex, with a structure on a ground floor and a floor.

Over the centuries, the castle lost its defensive function. After serving as a farmhouse, it was sold as a national good during the French Revolution, marking the end of its seigneurial use. The current remains, registered as historical monuments since 20 September 1996, offer a rare glimpse of medieval castral architecture in the Landes, where few master towers of this period remain.

The tower, with a reduced height of three levels, illustrates the construction techniques of the period. Its present state allows to observe the seats on the ground, determining a right-of-way of about fifteen meters long by four wide for the adjacent house. These features are a notable example of the medieval heritage of the Land, showing both its initial defensive role and its evolution towards agricultural and residential uses.

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