Carved in the rock

The Château de Roquetaillade, situated in the village of Mazères, France, near Bordeaux, is a striking example of medieval architecture. Its name means 'carved in the rock'. The castle has a storied past, starting with its origins as a wooden fortification, which oral tradition says was built by Charlemagne in the 8th century. Over the next 400 years, there were periods of unrest and invasions, and the castle evolved. In time, stone replaced wood, and in the 11th century, archives first mention Roquetaillade as a fortified village with a feudal system.

In 1306, Gaillard de Lamothe, nephew of Pope Clement V, built the new castle of Roquetaillade (le Château Neuf). Its architecture is similar to that built by Master James of Saint George in North Wales at the same time. The castle has a square plan with six towers and a central keep, representing the apogee of 'defensive science' before the arrival of gunpowder. When the feudal system died out in the end of the Middle Ages, the castle was slowly transformed into a dwelling.

In 1599, the Lansacs modified the first floor with windows, and in 1865, the Mauvezins employed the renowned architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc to modernise the building. Viollet-le-Duc accepted because he considered Roquetaillade the perfect castle, and his renovations marked the missing link between Gothic art and Art Nouveau. The extraordinary interior decorations were listed as French Heritage in 1976 by the French Ministry of Culture. The castle has been open to the public since 1956.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons