The Château de Condat is a fortified former commandry of the Knights Hospitaller located in the commune of Condat-sur-Vézère in the Dordogne département of France.

History

The commandry was definitely founded in the 12th century, and restored around 1540.[1]

The Château de Condat was the commandry for the Hospitallers who occupied the town from the 12th to the 18th centuries.[2] Known as Hospitalis de Condato and documented since 1239, it served the functions of fortification, tithe barn, residence, hostel for pilgrims and hospital for the sick.[3] It was the most important of the Hospitallers' commandries in Périgord.

During the Wars of Religion, the Huguenot leader, captain Pouch, transformed the church into a fortress that was besieged and taken by the seigneur of Losse.

Just as in the Wars of Religion, during the Fronde it changed hands several times.[4]

After the Storming of the Bastille in 1789, the commandry was pillaged.[1]

Description

The edifice is an oblong structure, attached to a square 14th century keep with a chemin de ronde supported on corbels. In the opposite corner, a 16th-century turret has been reduced in height. It is completed by a second building, with a square defensive tower. The former moats have been filled in. The roof is covered with slate from Brive.[1]

The Château de Condat is privately owned. It has been listed since 1948 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Base Mérimée: Commanderie, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. ↑ Information panel in Place Tourny, Condat.
  3. ↑ Commune web site Archived 2012-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Guy Penaud, Dictionnaire des châteaux du Périgord, p.88, éditions Sud Ouest, 1996, ISBN 2-87901-221-X

45°07′01″N 1°13′44″E / 45.11694°N 1.22889°E / 45.11694; 1.22889


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