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Origin and history

The castle of the Marthonye, located in Saint-Jean-de-Côle in Dordogne, has its origins in the 13th century, when the land depended on the Viscounty of Limoges and the King of France. A first castle, now disappeared, protected the region of Thiviers and the local priory, founded around 1082 by Raynaud de Thiviers, bishop of Périgueux. Ruined during the Hundred Years War after the English occupation (1394-1405), it was rebuilt from the end of the 15th century by Étienne de La Marthonia, adviser to the Parliament of Bordeaux, and completed by his son, Pierre Mondot de La Marthonia, at the beginning of the 16th century. This medieval castle, flanked by square and round towers with mâchicoulis, reflected the defensive needs of the period while offering a comfortable residence.

In the 17th century, after the Wars of Religion that had seen the village looted in 1569, a perpendicular wing was added, including an arcade gallery and a square staircase integrated into an existing tower. Around 1650, the seigneury was erected as a marquisate for the family of La Marthonia. A corner pavilion and a front porch, typical of the eighteenth century, then completed the whole. The property changed hands in the 18th century through inheritances and marriages, notably with Marie de Beynac and Christophe de Beaumont du Repaire, the first Baron of the Périgord, before being confiscated as national property during the Revolution after their emigration in 1793.

Ranked a historic monument in 1943, the castle of the Marthonye illustrates the architectural evolution of the Périgord, from medieval fortifications to aristocratic residences of the Enlightenment. Its successive transformations, marked by conflicts (the Hundred Years War, the Wars of Religion) and family alliances, make it a major testimony of local heritage. The sources, including the works of Pierre-Henri Ribault de Laugardière and François Deshoulières, underline his role both defensive, seigneurial and residential throughout the centuries.

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