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Origin and history

The castral mottes of Saint-Dizier-la-Tour, also called feudal mottes, are located in the department of Creuse, on the commune of Saint-Dizier-la-Tour, near the village of La Tour-Saint-Austriille. This archaeological site, consisting of two twin mites and a vast platform, is surrounded by ditches and slope. A Saint-Austrille chapel, mentioned on the cadastre of 1810, once occupied the central platform, suggesting the presence of a Benedictine priory dependent on the Abbey of Deols as early as 1095. The excavations of 1865, conducted by M. de Cessac, revealed underground chambers containing traces of fire, vitrified granite and iron objects, interpreted as the remains of a wooden tower or a process of strengthening fortifications.

The first written records of the site date back to 957-958, in charters of the cartular of Saint-Étienne de Limoges, evoking an alleu named La Tour held by a certain Droctricus. These documents attest to an ancient occupation, possibly linked to a necropolis or collegiate founded in the 10th century. The site, which spans about 4 hectares, also includes traces of a third mound and a pond, mentioned in a 1520 burrow. The remains, cleared and highlighted in 2012, are now accessible to the public, with guided summer tours and medieval animations.

The castral mots illustrate medieval fortification techniques, with artificial terres surmounted by wooden structures, typical of the year Mil. Their arrangement as a whole girded by gaps reflects a collective defensive organization, perhaps linked to a local seigneurial power. The vitrification of granite, a rare technique, suggests a desire to strengthen fire defences, a practice attested from the Bronze Age. The site, registered with the historical monuments in 2020, offers a material testimony of feudal dynamics in Limousin, between religious power (priory) and military (mots).

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