During the Middle Age the powerful fortress, which dominates the pays des Quatre-Rivières, was built and fitted out by the barons of Castelnau, the King of France's most faithful vassals. A landmark for four provinces, Périgord, Limousin, Auvergne and Quercy, the castlewas both a centre of activity and a symbol for the second barony of the kingdom. It is particularly impressive due to its manor house built of red stone and its tall square keep, constructed durind the 12 th and 13 th c. |
Renovated as a country residence during the 16 th and 17 th c., the castle was burnt in 1851.Purchased in 1896 by Jean Mouliérat, a celebrated tenor at the opéra-Comique originating from Lot, the château de Castelnau underwent partial restoration and refurnishing. In the East Wing Mouliérat assembled a remarkable collection of furniture and objets d'art dating from the Middle Ages to the 18 th c. as well as a series of religious sculptures of various origins and epochs.
|
