Château de Mongaston

English translation

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History

Controlling the ford allowing passage from Béarn to Soule, the castle is mentioned as early as 1287. The lords of Mongaston are known from the 14th century. In the 17th century, mention is made of new buildings distinct from the old castle. In 1929, a fire largely destroyed the building which has been the subject of restoration work since 1971. In its current appearance, the castle should correspond to a 16th-century adaptation (windows, stair tower) of the building of the 13th-14th century preserved in its entirety of volume. The rectangular main dwelling is flanked by a hexagonal stair turret at the north-east corner and an échauguette at the opposite corner. The large entrenched camp (lower courtyard, upper courtyard, moat) with the traces of arrangement it contains (enclosure, walls, outbuildings) is inseparable from the castle itself.