Vestiges de la tour dite de Guyenne

English translation

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History

The fief of Béruges was held of the castellany of Montreuil-Bonnin. The castle is mentioned from 1124 onwards. The tower, called the tower of Guyenne, was stormed by Saint Louis in 1242, during his combat against Hugh X of Lusignan, count of the Marche, allied with Henry III. The structure was destroyed. This tower was to serve as a weapons depot rather than as a garrison post. It appears cited in sale deeds in the 15th and 16th centuries, but does not seem to have been rebuilt from its ruin. It partially collapsed in the early 20th century. Situated on a rocky spur dominating the valleys of the Boivre and the Coudre, the fortress is composed of a large square tower extended, to the west, by a powerful triangular spur. The entrance on the east side is framed by two collapsed round towers. Substructures must have protected the tower. The latter today presents two levels. The ground floor consists of a large square hall, vaulted with a broken barrel vault, lit by three loopholes. A square hole directly above the door must have served as communication with the upper part. The back of the room is opened by a pointed arch giving onto a niche arranged like a squinch. A well and a cistern are to be noted. The upper floor comprises a similar ruined hall and, within the thickness of the spur, an octagonal hall. A staircase which must have been covered runs along the walls of the tower and leads from one floor to the other. Above the octagonal hall stood another hall perhaps serving as a watchtower.