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Origin and history

The castle of Bonnes, located in the eponymous village of Charente (New Aquitaine), was built at the beginning of the 16th century by Robert de La Marthonia, master hotel of François I, on the foundations of a 9th century medieval castle. The latter had been erected to counter the Viking invasions going up the Dronne River to Brantôme Abbey. The seigneury of Bonnes, originally owned by the Lamberts (XII century), passed to the La Roche (XIV century) before being rebuilt in Renaissance style by La Marthonia, which added an arcade gallery inspired by the Loire castles.

In the 17th century, the castle was renovated in a classic style by the family of the Pompadour d'Esparbes de Lussan. Francis II of Esparbes and his wife Mary of Pompadour created symbolic painted chimneys, such as those of Hercules and Cain and Abel, reflecting their commitments during the wars of Religion. The castle, the residence of the lords of Aubeterre, declined after 1770, sold to the bourgeois family Périer de Gurat. Racked during the Revolution, he kept only one third of his original pieces.

The current remains include a Renaissance wing, a medieval tower turned into a pavilion, and defensive elements like murderers. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1974 and 1995, the castle has been subject to an ambitious restoration since 2007 by the Delmond family, which brought together the three scattered parts of the estate. The frescoes of the sixteenth century and the classic decorations of the seventeenth century bear witness to its past prestige, between royal influence and religious conflicts.

The history of the castle is also marked by its strategic role: connected to the church by a gallery (now disappeared), it was an issue between Protestants and Catholics during the wars of Religion. The Esparbes of Lussan, lieutenant-generals of the king's armies, left artistic and military traces there, before the revolutionary destructions and divisions of the 19th century reduced the scope.

Today, the castle of Bonnes consists of a Renaissance home, a perpendicular wing, and a square tower. Mythological frescoes, woodwork, and the floor ceiling on the ground floor recall its golden age, while the mills and farms disappeared evoke its economic decline from the 18th century.

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