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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of the Barons of Ezpeleta has its origins in a noble family mentioned in the middle of the thirteenth century. Around 1480, the primitive castle was replaced by a polygonal fortress adapted to artillery, with five semicircular towers. This first building, a symbol of military power, reflected the tensions of the time and defensive needs in the face of local or regional conflicts.

In 1640, the castle was destroyed in retaliation for a betrayal, marking a turning point in its history. After this episode, a house of the seventeenth century was rebuilt on its remains, before being bequeathed to the parish in 1694. Today, there remains only a barlong corner tower on the floors bounded by banners, as well as mouths by fire and a partially destroyed scald, testimony of the defensive arrangements of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The castle once extended over a whole district of Espelette, now reduced to remains. The current house body, extended by a south wall and adorned with triangular frontons (mid-17th), retains a central pilaster gate, an architectural element characteristic of the period. Recent excavations and protections (inscription in 2007) aim to preserve archaeological remains, including a ditch and advanced works to the south.

Property of the municipality, the site thus combines medieval and classical history, illustrating the transformations of a defensive building into a seigneurial residence, then into a local heritage. Its present state reflects both the destruction suffered and the reconstructions adapted to successive times.

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