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Origin and history

The castle of Vernode, located in Tocane-Saint-Apre in Dordogne, is an ancient castle whose origins probably date back to the 9th or 10th century. Two of its towers could even date back to antiquity, as evidenced by Gallo-Roman and Gallic artifacts (parts of gold, pottery, flint tools) discovered on site. The commune, once a major Gallo-Roman site, houses this monument perched on a promontory overlooking the Dronne River.

Originally, the castle was a feudal moth surrounded by a enclosure, with a quadrilateral flanked by four towers. The dungeon, still standing, has a rare "Byzantine dome" vault, similar to that of Saint-Front Cathedral in Périgueux. In the 12th century, the site is cited in the cartular of the Abbey of Chancelade, and a chapel attired (disappeared before the 19th century) was attached to its parish, offered to the Chapter of Saint-Astier in 1122.

The castle played a strategic role during the Hundred Years War. In 1436, the mayor of Périgueux ordered his dismantling for fear of an English occupation. Two years later, he was seated and occupied several months before being taken over thanks to the intervention of the Count of Penthièvre and the Senechal of Périgord. The letters of the time evoke a laborious "liberation of Vernode", marked by fighting and negotiations.

Vernode belonged to several noble families, including the Vernode (IXth–IIIrd centuries), the Fayolle (XIVth–XVIth centuries), and the Chantemerle (from 1583). In the 17th century, the estate was divided between the "noble house" (repair of the Chantemerle) and the towers, still controlled by the Fayolle. The decline accelerated in the 18th century: in 1727, two towers were already in ruins, and in 1797, the castle was sold to an individual. In the 19th century, only two laps remain on the four initials.

Ranked a historic monument in 1886 for its dungeon, the castle of Vernode is now owned by the municipality of Tocane-Saint-Apre. Its remains, including a vaulted underground and traces of enclosure, recall its past of medieval fortress and seigneurial center influential in Périgord.

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