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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  4. Dordogne
  5. 24620 Tursac

  6. Marzac Castle

 Marzac Castle à Tursac en Dordogne

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château de style Renaissance
Dordogne

Marzac Castle

    D706
    24620 Tursac
Ownership of a private company
Museums of France
All the castles of France
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Château de Marzac
Crédit photo : Père Igor - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XIIIe siècle
First mention of the family of Marzac
1420
Taking of the den during the Hundred Years War
XVe siècle
Construction of the current castle
XVIe siècle
Addition of the funeral chapel
XVIIe siècle
Construction of round pigeon house
13 mars 1963
First protection for historical monuments
15 mars 1991
Second protection for historical monuments
2015
Home of the painter Foujita
septembre 2019
Purchase by Guyot family
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Cloister vestiges included in the castle (Box AV 38): inscription by order of 13 March 1963; Fronts and roofs of the castle; chapel on the ground floor; facades and roofs of the buildings of the communes delimiting the forecourt of the castle; with its two adjoining buildings; terrace with its retaining walls; garden with fence and pond (cad. AV 36, 38 to 41): registration by order of 15 March 1991

Key figures

Guichard de Marzac - Lord of the thirteenth century First quoted member of the Marzac family (1294).
Hélie de Campniac - Lord of Marzac in the 15th century Owner during the reconstruction of the castle.
Christophe de Roffignac - Lord of Marzac (died 1572) Heir after decree against the Campniacs.
Marie-Madeleine Bart - Granddaughter of Jean Bart Owner by marriage in the 18th century.
François de Carbonnier - Marquis de Marzac (1727-1802) Husband of Marie de la Barthe de Thermes.
Alphonse Claret de Fleurieu - Count owner in the 20th century Welcomed Foujita in 1915-1916.
Tsuguharu Foujita - Japanese painter Residence at the castle in 1915-1916.
Famille Guyot - Current owners since 2019 Restore the castle for a public opening.

Origin and history

Marzac Castle, located in Tursac, Dordogne (New Aquitaine), is a building built between the late 15th and 17th centuries. Located on a height overlooking the Vézère some 60 meters, it historically controlled river navigation with the Petit-Marzac castle. The site was occupied in the 13th century by the Marzac family, first mentioned in 1294 with Guichard de Marzac. During the Hundred Years' War, the den changed hands several times between English and French, before being rebuilt in the 15th century by the family of Campniac, then passed on to the Roffignac.

The present castle consists of a rectangular house flanked by four circular towers and a square staircase tower, all crowned with mâchicoulis and round paths. A 16th-century funeral chapel, decorated with paintings, and a 17th-century round pigeon-house complete the whole. Over the centuries, the estate passed into the hands of noble families, including the Carbonnier de Marzac (descendants of the privateer Jean Bart by alliance) and the Fleurieu. In 1915, Count Alphonse Claret de Fleurieu welcomed the Japanese painter Foujita, who lived there for several months.

Ranked a two-stage historical monument (1963 for the remains of the cloister, 1991 for the chapel, the dovecote and the facades), the castle was acquired in 2019 by the Guyot family, owner of the castle of Bridoire. The latter undertook its restoration for an opening to the public in the form of an escape game, a project delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The estate, which covers 288 hectares, also includes communes, a French garden and outbuildings. In 2023, he served as a stage for the Fortune series of France.

The architecture of the castle reflects its evolution: medieval defensive elements (doves filled, murderous) are alongside Renaissance additions such as the sill windows and vaulted galleries decorated with paintings. The terrace, surrounded by retaining walls, offers stunning views of the Vézère valley, while the round pigeon tree, typical of seigneurial estates, highlights its agricultural and symbolic status. The site, private, remains a major testimony of the perigordin heritage, marked by Franco-English conflicts and the influence of large regional families.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum