Castelnaud-la-Chapelle: Château medieval garden
Looking down on a medieval-inspired garden at the Château de Castelnaud (Dordogne, Aquitaine, in southwestern France), on a mostly sunny morning at the beginning of June.
The castle's full name is Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle; it beetles over the village of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle and the Dordogne River upriver from the Château de Beynac, as well as over its tributary the Céou, in the Périgord noir (Black Périgord) area of the Dordogne département. Earliest surviving documentary references to the current château-fort (which was on the site of a 12th-century fortification) date back to the 13th century, and much of it was constructed during the 13th to 14th centuries. At the time of the "Albigensian Crusade," it was held by the French military leader Simon de Montfort (that is, Simon IV, seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, who died 1218 and was the father of the Simon V de Montfort who was a leader in English politics under Henry III). During the Hundred Years' War between the royal dynasties of England and France, it served as a fortress of a supporter of the English -- confronting the rival, French-aligned Château de Beynac -- until its capture by the French in 1442.
The current building, which reflects modern restoration (undertaken 1967-2012), has been officially designated as a historic monument.
The garden has been designed based on medieval gardens of the area. The Rosa mundi (Rosa gallica "Versicolor") rose blooming in it is a variety known during the Middle Ages; its name is Latin for "Rose of the world."
(Information from the Architecture database on the website of the French Ministère de la culture and from Wikipedia, both French-language and English-language -- all consulted online 11 June 2015 -- and from the Michelin Guide vert: Périgord, Berry, Limousin, Quercy, 1983 edition.)
[Castelnaud castle medieval garden view 2009 jun 1 c; IMG_0111]
Castelnaud-la-Chapelle: Château medieval garden
Looking down on a medieval-inspired garden at the Château de Castelnaud (Dordogne, Aquitaine, in southwestern France), on a mostly sunny morning at the beginning of June.
The castle's full name is Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle; it beetles over the village of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle and the Dordogne River upriver from the Château de Beynac, as well as over its tributary the Céou, in the Périgord noir (Black Périgord) area of the Dordogne département. Earliest surviving documentary references to the current château-fort (which was on the site of a 12th-century fortification) date back to the 13th century, and much of it was constructed during the 13th to 14th centuries. At the time of the "Albigensian Crusade," it was held by the French military leader Simon de Montfort (that is, Simon IV, seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, who died 1218 and was the father of the Simon V de Montfort who was a leader in English politics under Henry III). During the Hundred Years' War between the royal dynasties of England and France, it served as a fortress of a supporter of the English -- confronting the rival, French-aligned Château de Beynac -- until its capture by the French in 1442.
The current building, which reflects modern restoration (undertaken 1967-2012), has been officially designated as a historic monument.
The garden has been designed based on medieval gardens of the area. The Rosa mundi (Rosa gallica "Versicolor") rose blooming in it is a variety known during the Middle Ages; its name is Latin for "Rose of the world."
(Information from the Architecture database on the website of the French Ministère de la culture and from Wikipedia, both French-language and English-language -- all consulted online 11 June 2015 -- and from the Michelin Guide vert: Périgord, Berry, Limousin, Quercy, 1983 edition.)
[Castelnaud castle medieval garden view 2009 jun 1 c; IMG_0111]