Château de Châlus-Chabrol

Château de Châlus-Chabrol
Château de Châlus-Chabrol by Ildo Moratti

The Château de Châlus-Chabrol (Occitan Limousin : Chasteu de Chasluç-Chabròl) is a castle in the commune of Châlus in the département of Haute-Vienne, France.[1]

The castle dominates the town of Châlus. It consists today of an isolated circular keep (12th century) and a residential building constructed between the 11th and 13th centuries, enlarged in the 17th century.[1]

The castle protected the southern approach to Limoges and the north–south route between Paris and Spain, as well as the ancient east–west route linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

It is most famous for the death of King Richard the Lionheart, who died there while besieging the castle in 1199 from a crossbow bolt shot, according to legend, by one of the defenders called Bertrand de Gourdon. His entrails are buried in the castle chapel.[2] The opening of the 1976 film Robin and Marian was set at the château de Chalus-Chabrol but filmed elsewhere.[3]

The castle's owners included Charlotte of Albret and Louise Borgia, wife and daughter respectively of Cesare Borgia.

Château de Chalus-Chabrol has been listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1925.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Base Mérimée: Château fort de Chalus-Chabrôl, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. ^ Flori, Jean (1999). Richard Coeur de Lion: le roi-chevalier (in French). Paris: Biographie Payot. p. 235. ISBN 978-2-228-89272-8.
  3. ^ "ROBIN AND MARIAN (1976)". American Film Institute. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
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45°39′27″N 0°58′47″E / 45.6574°N 0.9798°E / 45.6574; 0.9798