Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Mardogne Castle, built in the 12th and 13th centuries, was a strategic fortress perched on a basaltic piton near Joursac, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. As a seigneury in 1229, he controlled a vast territory and was distinguished by his entrance to the ground floor, unlike the neighbouring dungeons. Its architecture included a massive enclosure with round path, a square tower with superimposed vaults, and a masonized cistern in the courtyard.

In 1720 a fire ravaged the castle, accelerating its decline. The inhabitants then used its materials, leaving only ruins: walls, vaulted cellar, and vestiges of the wall. A local tradition evokes an earlier Roman temple, a hypothesis reinforced by the proximity of a Gallo-Roman station. These remains, classified as Historical Monuments in 1980, bear witness to its past importance.

Today, the site retains remarkable elements such as the square tower with two vaulted floors, each level forming a separate room. The cistern, cemented with lime and the shelled tile, and the remains of the round road recall its defensive role. Unlike other regional dungeons, its direct access to the ground floor reflects a unique design for the time.

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