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Origin and history

The dungeon of Salles-sur-l'Hers is a military building built in the 4th quarter of the 15th century, located in the village of the same name, in Occitanie. This monument, of quadrangular plan, rises on three floors above a vaulted ground floor, served by a semi-out-of-work screw staircase. It is the last vestige of a medieval stronghold on a natural hill in the east of the old bastide founded in 1271 by Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of Louis IX. Floors and roofs have now disappeared, but the structure retains its ditch and land base, protected since 2003.

The bastide of Salles-sur-l'Hers, created at the end of the 13th century, is part of the movement to found new cities in Languedoc under the impetus of the Capetians. The dungeon, added two centuries later, reinforced the defences of a strategic site, probably in response to the regional tensions of the late Middle Ages. Its registration as a Historic Monument in 2003 underscores its heritage importance, although its current state — partially ruined — limits its accessibility.

Architecturally, the dungeon illustrates the transition between medieval castles and Renaissance seigneurial residences. Its vaulted ground floor suggested the use of storage or defense, while the upper floors, now missing, were to house living spaces. The presence of a ditch and a screw staircase testifies to its defensive role, typical of the military buildings of the time. Sources refer to an approximate location, with a map accuracy considered poor (note 5/10).

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