Castelnaud, or rather Castelnau, the new castle, was according to tradition built in the 12th century. Property of the Cathar lord Bernard de Casnac at the beginning of the 13th century, it was taken by Simon de Montfort in 1214, during the Albigensian Crusade. A new castle was then rebuilt. The keep and curtain wall date from this period.
During the Hundred Years' War, the castle would often switch to the English side. The French won the battle of 1442, during a siege ordered by King Charles VII, and the castle was never retaken thereafter.
The castle is visible from the hill where our rural holiday rentals are located. In the 17th century, the castle was rarely occupied. Abandoned at the Revolution, it then steadily deteriorated and even served as a stone quarry in the 19th century. Listed as a historic monument in 1966, it has since been the subject of spectacular restoration campaigns, and has housed the "Museum of War in the Middle Ages" since 1985.
Alongside the restoration of the castle, the desire to stage a besieged castle encouraged the reconstruction of full-size war machines. As all these artillery engines were built of wood, none has survived to the present day. The only written sources allowing their reconstruction come from account books, miniatures, collections of drawings and treatises by 13th-century military engineers such as Villard de Honnecourt or Konrad Keyser.
This visit, 1 km from our holiday rentals, is very popular for its interactivity. Children and parents alike will be entertained by the weapons of war and the reconstructions. Come and spend a pleasant holiday in our rural gîtes to fully enjoy Castelnaud. Open all year round.
