Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château des Adhémar, also known as Château de Montélimar, finds its origins in the 11th century in the form of a castral motte built by the Count of Toulouse, accompanied by the chapel Sainte-Guitte. This first building, located above St Peter's Church, was a dungeon surrounded by a slope and a ditch. The major transformation took place in the 12th century, when the Adhémar family, whose sovereignty was recognized by an imperial diploma in 1164, converted it into a Romanesque palace reflecting its power. The castrum montilium Adhemari symbolizes the richness of this noble lineage.

At the beginning of the 13th century, the seigneury was divided between two brothers, leading to the creation of two distinct poles: one in the north, marked by the tower of Narbonne (14th century), and one in the east forming the citadel. The 13th century walls, reinforced in the 16th and 17th centuries, became the defensive heart of the site. The old castle, papal property, was partially destroyed around 1580 by order of the Duke of Lesdiguières to modernize the fortifications. The tower of Narbonne, the only vestige of the castle of the Counts of Valentinois, remains as a witness of this period.

The seigneurial house, classified as a historical monument in 1889, illustrates civil Romanesque architecture with its two large bunk rooms (125 m2 each), opened on the city by windows in the middle of the hangar and a loggia. The 11th century Saint Peter's church, originally parish, was transformed into a powder magazine in the 16th century, while its northern part remained a chapel dedicated to Saint Agathe. The site, used as a prison until 1926, became departmental property in 1965.

From 2000 to 2017, the castle houses a contemporary art centre, including exhibitions by national and international artists (Daniel Buren, Felice Varini, Olga Kisseleva) and local artists. This project is part of a regional dynamic linking medieval heritage and modern creation, alongside the castles of Grignan and Suze-la-Rousse. More than 50 temporary exhibitions are organized, combining young designers and established figures.

The castral ensemble, although partially preserved, offers a rare testimony of civil Romanesque palaces. The renovations of the 16th and 17th centuries have erased some secondary buildings, but the major medieval elements (logis, tower, walls) remain. Today, the site combines historical preservation and cultural enhancement, while remaining a symbol of the Adhémar heritage in Dauphiné.

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