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Origin and history

The château du Larron, also known as château de Rochein, is an ancient castral motte located in the commune of Saint-Julien-le-Petit, Haute-Vienne. Located at an altitude of 414 metres on a foothill of Mount Laron, this strategic site dominates a loop of the Maunde River. The motte, partially natural and partially artificial, forms an elliptical cone trunk of 35 to 40 meters long, with a summit platform of 500 m2. Defensive developments, such as a ditch and steep slopes, reinforced its isolation.

The current remains include the remains of a round tower, enclosure fragments, foothills and some interior walls. A cellar, discovered in the 19th century, as well as an underground aqueduct feeding the site, testify to its medieval organization. An unexplored underground, large enough for two people, features benches carved from the rock. These elements suggest prolonged occupation and sophisticated hydraulic arrangements for the time.

The first certified lord, Roger I of Laron, was mentioned in the cartular of Uzerche between 988 and 990. This written reference is the oldest historical evidence related to the site. Although sources are lacking on its subsequent evolution, the motte illustrates the castral architecture of the High Middle Ages, typical of local fortifications intended to control a rural territory and river axes.

The lower yard, located below the motte, and traces of pipes reveal a complex spatial organization, combining defence and resource management. The absence of exhaustive excavations, however, limits the precise understanding of its occupation and transformations over the centuries. The site remains a remarkable example of a castral motte in Limousin, combined with a network of medieval undergrounds.

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