Castle of Puivert

The castle of Puivert is a Château Cathare located on the commune of Puivert, in the Département of the Aude. This building, posed on a hill overhanging the village and its lake, culminates at an altitude of 605 meters. The site is in the area of the Quercorb, with 60 kilometers in the South of Carcassonne and with 45 kilometers in the East of Foix.

History of the castle

The " castrum" primitive

Construction would date from XIIIe century. The first mentions of the building go back to 1170: it belongs then to the family of Congost, at the time of the Albigensian Crusade. These lords practiced the catharism and were shown like heretics. Thus, in November 1210, the castle undergoes a seat of a few days by the army of Thomas Pons de Bruyère, lieutenant of Simon de Montfort and Puivert becomes a possession of the barons of North. A collapse of the natural stopping retaining water of the lake to the foot of the site causes the destruction of part of the town of Mirepoix, located at 30 km in north, in Ariège, in 1279.

The current castle

At the beginning of XIVe century, Thomas de Bruyère, grandsons of Pons and his wife, Isabelle of Melun, make rebuild the “new castle”, in the east of the Château Old whose vestiges are always visible. The armorial bearings of Isabelle of Melun, girl of a Great chamberlain of France, besides were always installed in the old building. The back in shape of the building gave him the character symbolic system and picturesque which one can observe.

Its classification like Historic building date of 1907. Since, the castle became deprived and was used for many turnings (the Ninth door, migrating People,…) thanks to its keep preserved very well.

The part of the musicians

On the fourth floor of the keep the room of the musicians is. It bears this name because eight very fine sculptures musicians with their instruments are represented on the pendants of the part. Indeed, a history would indicate that the town of Puivert accommodated in XIIe century a famous meeting of troubadours. The visible instruments in the room are the Cornemuse, the Flûte, the tambourine, the Rebec, the Luth, the Guiterne, the portable organ, the Psaltérion and the Vielle with bow.

The city opened besides a Musée of Quercorb to show the regional musical tradition of the time.

Description of the castle

The enclosure

The functions of the castle are warlike: the guet and defense, contrary to the buildings built at that time which had religious goals rather. The enclosure extends over a 175 meters length. The plan of this one is rectangular, it is bored of archères and its ditch which separated it from the plate is practically invisible nowadays. The entry inside the court is done by turn-carries square, located at the center of the curtain Is. There remains 5 turns of the 8 initial ones:

a round, smooth, with the north-eastern angle;
a round with embossing in the middle of the northern face;
a tower in the square plan, with a turret in corbelling, on the Eastern side, connecting the last two stages;
remainders of a round tower in south-east;
the keep (left best preserved castle);

In addition to the central door located on the Eastern wall, two other gates are present:

one on the angle defended by the keep, i.e. the north-western angle;
another in the south of the keep which gives access the old castle;

Surface on the ground (farmyard) of the site is very large: 3.200 m ² inside the walls!

The keep

Part best preserved building, of square form, it is 15 meters on side and 32 meters high. It was initially contiguous Logis seigneurial. On the western part of the tower, one can observe pieces of perpendicular sections of wall, as well as doors, therefore one deduced from it that the dwellings were coupled with this wall. The keep is composed of:

two lower levels: partially underground, they are under the keep. The ceiling is composed of broken cradles;
a third level: accessible by a door covered in gothic arch, it is the vault which is there. The room is decorated with posts, mouldings and blazons. The ceiling is arched warheads, with carved bases. On the walls, one finds a liturgical Piscine, as well as trefoil windows.
a fourth stage: a part arched of warheads on bases, carved profane figurines playing of the musical instruments. This part was thus named: " Room of Musiciens". Its lighting is done thanks to three windows similar to those of the vault.
the fifth and last stage: the defensive platform, at the time broadside by a crenellation, enables us to discover a splendid sight of the area of Quercorb.

See too

Castles cathares

Sources

Relative bibliography

medieval Castles of the Aude: Guide of the visitor, 25 sites of the country cathare ; Archeology of the medieval South; annual review of the Center of medieval archeology of Languedoc; supplement with volume 4,1986.
Jean Tisseyre, the Castle of Puivert , 1998

Internet sites

Official site of the castle of Puivert
Puivert on cathares.org

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