Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Périlhac, also known as the castle of Périllac, is located on a site probably occupied by an oppidum from ancient times. His first written mention dates back to 1168, when the lord of Penne donated it to the Order of the Temple, already present in the commissary near Vaour. This gift, termed "maririe", marks the beginning of the temple history of the place. In 1176, seigneur Riquier de Penne still retained rights in the estate, earning 12 deniers.

The castle is built in several phases. As soon as the Templars acquire it, a castral mot topped by a dungeon is built. In the 13th and 14th centuries, a new castle was built about ten meters west of the first. In the 15th century, a third building was added to this fortress. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, some of the structures were razed when the estate turned into a farm, while the castral mound fell into ruin.

Architecturally, the site is divided into two distinct sets. The castral moth, now ruined, was probably composed of a dungeon and a Templar chapel. The second building, oriented north-south, includes a house body flanked by a partially abrased dungeon, with defensive elements such as murderers and remains of a spiral staircase. The original ground floor, buried by the filling of a ditch, preserves traces of medieval chimneys and Renaissance windows. A glass farm, active in the 15th and 16th centuries, is also attested on the site, reflecting the economic activities of the forest of Gresigne.

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