Château de Mercuès

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The castle was built in the 15th century by the bishops of Cahors and remained their property until 1905. The building comprises, to the south, a large main dwelling seated on the ridge of the slope, with two perpendicular wings to the north, surrounding a square courtyard closed to the north by the old enclosure wall in which opens the entrance door. Access to it is by a bridge over the moat, replacing the old drawbridge. The other parts of the castle date from the 17th century, with some remodelling in the 18th. The external terraces, the perrons and staircases date from the 18th century. The façades facing the courtyard, as well as the main staircase with straight flights, have retained their 17th-century arrangement with square mullioned windows. The interiors were refitted in the 19th century, but certain rooms have retained their French ceilings with exposed beams.