Château de Mercoeur

English translation

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History

Overall medieval structure, with alterations in the Renaissance and 18th century. In the 13th century, the Mercoeur family chose an elevated site to build a fortress. The keep was constructed so as to give view over the two castles of Saint-Privat and Saint-Didier d'Allier. During the Hundred Years War, the fortress burns, no doubt by reason of the Routiers. From 1764, the new owner undertakes a new construction whose works are interrupted by the Revolution. The castle has not been inhabited since 1914. The castle occupies a position on the flank of a hill, apparently exposed to attacks coming from the summit. This could be explained by the role of optical relay rather than defence originally played by the keep and by the early date of its establishment. The rectangular main dwelling is flanked by the round keep and a smaller tower. It is served by a third interior tower with a spiral stair. The building is surrounded by a quadrangular enclosure, doubtless reemployed for the construction of the farms of the hamlet. The main dwelling had a right-angle return to the north-east, built in two phases, of which a chimney stack and a round-arched barrel vault ground floor are the only remains. The noble residence of the 18th century was only realized for half its extent. Within, the first level of the keep possesses a vault painted in three compartments, with foliage, flower pots... which could date from the 17th century. In the main dwelling, which collapsed around 1960, subsist two large chimneys with Gothic mouldings.