Château de Carles

English translation

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History

The castle was built in the 16th century by the Carles family. Lancelot de Carles, bishop of Riez in 1560 and died in 1568, remains known as a poet, familiar of the Pléïade, celebrated by Ronsard and Du Bellay. His niece, Marguerite de Carles, widow of Etienne de La Boétie, inherited the castle in 1567. In the 18th century, the dwelling comprised a courtyard, a dovecote, a chapel, an ice-house, parterres and large trees forming avenues and quincunxes. At the Revolution, everything was demolished by the new owner to plant vines. At the end of the 19th century, restoration work was carried out. The building, in L-shaped plan, comprises a main body of dwelling and, at the west angle, a wing. The main body seems to result from two building campaigns. First, the body of building and the round tower then, the construction to the east reinforced by machicolations, by the north-east round tower and the square pavilion-tower with buttresses, crowned with a crenellated and embattled parapet on machicolations. Inside, ceramic tiles from Tunisian buildings destroyed around 1900 decorate the central vestibule.