The Château de Montréal is a château in the Dordogne department located near the commune of Issac, in southwestern France. It overlooks the valley of the Crempse River.
It was built as a castle in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 16th century. It has been classified as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1948. It is now a private residence.
History
Claude de Pontbriand, the Seigneur de Montréal, accompanied the French explorer Jacques Cartier on his expedition up the Saint Lawrence River, and was with him on October 3, 1535, when he reached a village of the unknown nation called Saint Lawrence Iroquoians, called Hochelaga, on the site of the present day city of Montreal.
The Pontbriand family built the château in its current form. They also built the chapel Sainte-Épine They modernized the double walls of the ramparts, which are very well preserved. and add the Renaissance style facade of the residence. The house is open for visits in summer- it is possible to visit the salons, which have a collection of portraits, and the circular library in the tower.
Gardens
The gardens were built upon the ramparts of the fortress at the beginning of the 20th century by Achille Duchêne. The lower garden is in the Italian style, and features hibiscus and yew trees, and walls covered with white roses and white clematis. The upper garden is a Garden à la française, with ornamental flower beds and a topiary garden. The garden was badly damaged by a storm in 1999, and has been replanted. The gardens are classified by the Committee of Parks and Gardens of the Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.

Château de Montréal (Issac)

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Le château de Mauriac est un château français implanté sur la commune de Douzillac dans le département de la Dordogne, en région Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Il fait l'objet d'une protection au titre des monuments historiques.
Présentation
Le château de Mauriac se situe à l'ouest du département de la Dordogne, deux kilomètres à l'est-nord-est du bourg de Douzillac. Il surplombe la ligne de chemin de fer Coutras - Tulle et l'Isle, à l'aplomb du barrage de Mauriac qui, après avoir actionné un moulin a fourni son énergie à une manufacture de meubles transformée maintenant en une petite centrale hydro-électrique. C'est une propriété privée où est autorisée la visite des jardins et de la terrasse.
Le château est situé en bordure orientale d'un parc où demeurent deux tours d'angle au sud-ouest et au nord-ouest.
On accède au domaine par un châtelet d'entrée en partie détruit.
Le château se présente sous la forme d'un logis flanqué de deux grosses tours rondes, le tout armé de mâchicoulis, côtés est et sud.
Histoire
Le château actuel, bâti aux xve et xvie siècles, succède à un repaire médiéval, lui-même établi à l'emplacement d'une ancienne demeure gallo-romaine. De retour d'Italie, Montaigne fit halte au château en 1581.
Le château est inscrit au titre des monuments historiques le 12 octobre 1948, et son domaine en intégralité le 10 février 2016.

Château de Mauriac (Douzillac)

Henri de Navarre, Mellet de Fayolle, Philip Chadbourne, Jean-Jacques de Saint-Astier, Alice Morris, the Challe spouses... Do you know any of those names? Probably not…They were all connected to the Neuvic Castle and its tragic and happy history that you can discover during the visit to this furnished Historic Monument which dates from the 16 century and refurbished in the 18 century. It is now a centre for child health, the Institut Médico-Educatif.
https://www.guide-du-perigord.com

Château de Neuvic

THE NAME
The name of the castle, of Latin origin, and that is found in a few other monuments or cities of the South-West of France, is arguably meaning: “fortified mount” (mons adstructum), or also “mount under the stars”…
The valley of the little river “Caudeau”, at the foot of Montastruc, keeps numerous traces of human habitat from prehistory to the period of the Roman Empire.
VTH CENTURY
Through the 5th century, the invasion by the Germans in 407, followed by the Visigoths’ and finally, by the annexation of Aquitaine to the kingdom of the Francs by Clovis (507), bring Montastruc into the High Middle-Age. These troubled times lead its inhabitants into the caves and galleries of its emerging rock, later fortified and isolated by deep moats.
RISE AND FALL OF THE D'ABZAC
La Monzia (La Moinerie) is mentioned into documents of the 13th century, under the protection of Montastruc, fief of the Castrum of Montclar. In 1309, Hugues 1st d’Abzac, lord of Clerans and knight for Montclar, is benefiting from a donation of assets in La Monzia, including the “domus” of Montastruc. In 1329, his son Hugues 2nd d’Abzac fortifies Montastruc over its antique existing bases. Rudel 4th de Mouleydier, lord and baron of Montclar, allows the works to be done and gets a solemn homage as suzerain, in the chapel of Lamonzie. Montastruc and the d’Abzac become from that moment a permanent threat for Montclar and its barons.
In 1437, the “Reppayrium de Monte Astruco” is mentioned as fief of Bertrand d’Abzac. On the 14th of February 1439, Amaury d’Estissac, heir of the châtellenie of Montclar, donates to Bertrand d’Abzac all the rights of high, mid and low justice that he could have over Montastruc, under the condition of a symbolic homage of a pair of white gloves. But Bertrand d’Abzac, is made prisoner after his invasion of the city of Domme, is beheaded in Limoges on the 1st of March 1439 by order of Charles 7th and the demolition Montastruc, to the height of the infamy (“à hauteur de l’infamie”) is undertaken following the criminal trial started in 1438 – however the destruction will be only partial.
In 1449, Jean of Bretagne returns to Jeanne de Beynac, widow of Bertrand d’Abzac, the estate of Montastruc against submission to the Royal authority. The castle is rebuilt from 1480, supported by royal decree (“Lettres patentes”) from Louis 11th dated September 1475.
XVITH - XVIITH CENTURY
In 1568, on the day of Christmas, Blaise de Monluc, trusted by Catherine de Médicis to maintain order in Guyenne, starts the siege of Montastruc. Two cannons oblige the Huguenot troop to surrender. New siege by the seneschal of Périgord in 1569, who takes it from the Protestants, and returns it again to the d’Abzac.
In 1637, the second rebellion of the “croquants” (peasants), is led in the forests not far from Montastruc by La Mothe La Foret, Charles d’Abzac’s brother in law, and Grellety, farmer of Charles’ lands…
XVIITH - XXTH
On the 26th of May 1650, the fortress walls of Montastruc see at their foot the defeat of the troop of Monsieur de La Valette, by the dukes of Bouillon and of La Rochefoucauld, while these were accompanying Madame the Princess of Condé and her son, the duke of Enghien to Bordeaux, during the last “grande fronde” (revolt of the nobles against the king).
Interestingly, the revolution period does not affect Montastruc. More recently, in May 1940, HRH the grand duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and her family exiled themselves in the chateau de Montastruc, ex-filtrated from Luxembourg in extremis by France before the arrival of the German troops. They remained there for a few months under the protection of a section of Senegalese riflemen, before gaining Portugal… On June 16th 1940, they were joined in Montastruc by the last empress-queen of Austria-Hungary Zita, sister of Felix of Bourbon- Parma, husband of Charlotte of Luxembourg. On her way to exile towards Spain via Bordeaux, Zita transited through Montastruc with her 8 children of which her elder son Otto of Habsburg, archduke of Austria.
TODAY
Fief of the d’Abzac since the 13th century, Montastruc changes hands through alliances and goes to the Ferrand de Mauvezin, the Peruse des Cars, the du Garrich d’Uzech, and then in 1849, goes to the marquis de Lostanges de Saint-Alvere followed by the Loeff in 1936. After the last war, it is owned by the Ordonneaux, and then changes hands briefly before coming in 1998 to Philippe Raynaud de Fitte and his wife Ségolène de Marcellus. This is the beginning of an extensive and meticulous restoration work…
Ségolène de Marcellus is of direct descent from Marie-Louis Andre Charles (alias Lodoïs) de Martin du Tyrac, 4th count of Marcellus (1795-1861), who after difficult and animated negotiations, purchased the statue known today as Venus de Milo, and brought it back to France where it was offered on March 1st 1821 to the king Louis XVIII who donated the statue to the Louvre. A casting of the Venus, life size with patina identical to the original was executed in November 2015 by the workshops of moldings of the Louvre Museum and is exposed today in Montastruc.

Château de Montastruc

The Château de Pitray (built in the 17th century) is in the village of Saint-Seurin-de-Prats, Aquitaine, France, overlooking the Dordogne river.
The name comes from Pic du Roy, or king’s peak, since the house was built on an ancient tumulus also known as Mothe de Prats, signifying that it was on land a little higher than the plain. "On 8 August 1626, here I built this home" is engraved in old French on the one of the stone building blocks.
It belonged to the Puch family before being acquired by Gabriel de Ségur, seigneur of Pitray. From there it passed on to Pierre de Ségur, son of Thomas, co-seigneur of Pitray, and to his daughter Henriette, married to Alexandre de Puch in 1715, whose descendants remained in possession of the property until 1900. Pierre de Ségur, chevalier of Pitray and a lieutenant in the Koenigsmark Cavalry Regiment, distinguished himself during the dragonnades, or persecutions directed against Protestants during the reign of Louis XIV.
Originally the main part of the house consisted of two wings of equal size in the shape of perpendicular rectangles, delimiting the courtyard opening out onto the Dordogne River. Pitray became the property of Doctor Samuel Amanieux at the end of the 19th century and in 1905, a Bordeaux architect joined the two wings by a massive flat-roofed building and an Italianate terrace lined with pilasters.
Over the last 25 years, the Château de Pitray has become a venue appreciated for organizing business meetings and all types of seminars, conferences, and especially concerts.

Château de Pitray

Monbazillac is located a short distance to the south of Bergerac.
The castle itself is a listed historical monument, and dates from the 16th century. It is in an early Renaissance style, and is in an attractive wooded setting with far-reaching views across the region. The castle contains some finely decorated rooms and apartments.
But it is for the wine that the Monbazillac region is best known. 3500 hectares of vines produce one of the most widely known (and most highly reputed) dessert (sweet) white wines in the world.
Looking for other excuses to enjoy a glass of the wine - it forms an excellent accompaniment to the local foie gras, and a perfect aperitif if chilled.
Exploring the Chateau de Monbazillac
When you have parked your car in the lovely wooded parking area and set off for the castle the first view of the castle is superb. At the end of a long straight driveway it sits high above the surrounding countryside and its large round turrets and mass of pointy roofs and leaded windows give it something of a fairy tale appearance.
MonbazillacThe chateau was built in 1550 and miraculously has come unscathed through the various wars and revolutions that have followed this period of history.
On visiting the Chateau de Monbazillac there are three floors to explore. Whilst the chateau was built as a defensive chateau with towers, a moat, arrow slits and battlements, it incorporates the early Renaissance styles of architecture with large windows. The rooms, therefore are lovely light and airy rooms.
On the ground floor are the reception rooms with their beautifully polished wooden floors and 17th century furniture.
The main room on the first floor is the Mounet-Sully hall which contains some huge dark pieces of Italien-baroque style furniture which once belonged to Mounet Sully, a famous French actor who was born in Bergerac. Next to this room, in the tower, is a lovely collection of white porcelain from Limoges which also belonged to Sully.
On this floor is also the Viscountess' bedroom, again with 17th century furniture and in the tower next to this are some wooden engravings with scenes of the Apocalypse.
My favourite room on this floor is the SEM hall which is filled with original cartoons drawn by SEM, a famous caricaturist who was born in Perigueux. These are great cartoons of French gentlemen and ladies during the end of the 19th century. For those of you interested in SEM (real name Georges Goursat) there is a little museum of his at La Casssange near Saint Genies. SEM was responsible for the drawing on the menu of Paris' famous Maxims restaurant.
As well as the room of SEM cartoons the 'Rodolph Germain Hall' contains changing displays of modern art by way of temporary exhibitions.
The basement of the chateau gives you a chance to see row upon row of 'liquid gold' - Monbazillac's famous sweet white wine. There is a small museum of wine related tools and you can also see the chateau kitchens and some wonderful huge pottery storage containers.
Not surprisingly after your visit there is a cave where you can sample the wines, and plenty of opportunities to purchase some.
Wandering round the castle from the outside offers some great views over the surrounding countryside.
https://www.northofthedordogne.com/monbazillac.php