Château de Bannes

Way back in the fifth century Bannes was a Gallo-Roman village situated on the rocky point where the castle now stands. It had probably always been a fortified place because of its commanding position 60 metres above the valley below. Indeed the very name, Bannes, means "horn or point" in the Celtic language.

A fortress was built in the 13th century on the site of the present castle and this proved to be a highly strategic position in a "no man's land" between the English and French possessions during the middle ages.
It was also at this time that many of the Bastide towns were built in the area. These fortified towns, always constructed on a grid system with a central market place, were originally built to encourage trading amongst local artisans with markets and fairs and they were so successful that many of the towns became very prosperous representing rich prizes to be fought over.
Some of the Bastide towns were built by English kings of that period, notably Henry III and Edward I whilst others were constructed on the orders of French kings and were governed by a representative of the king.

In 1409, during the Hundred Years War (1337 - 1453), a mercenary in the English king's army named Ramonet de Sort, took possession of the Château de Bannes. De Sort who was a commander of the invading force, remained at Bannes for nearly 30 years whilst he and his men ravaged the country as far as Sarlat some 30 miles away to the east.
In 1442, the French Army, by now a force to reckon with, attacked and laid siege to Bannes. On August 27th the garrison capitulated but not before setting fire to the castle to ensure that it should never be captured and occupied by the French. Many of the walls were pulled down and the castle remained a ruin until the end of the 15th century. In the main courtyard some stones, reddened by the fire in 1442, can still be seen to this day.
Armand de Gontaut - Biron, Bishop of Sarlat, bought the ruin and built a new castle on the site of the old one completing the construction in 1520. He died eleven years later and his tomb is in the chapel of the castle of Biron near Monpazier about 18 miles away. Since that time the exterior of the castle has not been altered apart from the slates on the roofs of the towers and a rampart walk which was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century. It is one of the few castles in the Perigord which has not had constructions added to it at a later date.

In 1571, the castle was sold to Jean II de Losse, a catholic and friend of the French king Henri IV and it remained in the hands of the house of Losse for 300 years. Built on the top of a steep rock, the castle was well protected from attack from the cliff side. On the more vulnerable north side there is a deep moat, now dry, with a drawbridge.
In the south wing there is a small chapel built by Armand de Gontaut - Biron. It was specifically for the "seigneurs" or noblemen of Bannes, the servants having to attend the parish church some 400 metres away.
The main staircase, built in the middle ages, is remarkable as nearly every step has been made from a single piece of stone and being a spiral staircase each one (there are sixty of them) had to be cut precisely to size. Looking up from below you can see that the underside of the staircase is formed like the base of a fan.
The "pièce de resistance" in the castle is undoubtedly the ornate fireplace in the drawing room. Built by Armand de Gontaut - Biron, it reflects his exuberant personality. The sculpture on the fireplace is dedicated to Queen Anne de Bretagne and King Louis XII who reigned in France at the beginning of the 16th century. The Continent of India had just been discovered about this time and sculptured on the fireplace is a face bearing a head-dress comprising a turban and feathers, one of the very first representations of an Indian Chief to be seen in France. The Château de Bannes is privately owned, having been bought in 1960 and the present owners live in part of it. A little more than half of the castle has already been restored, about 15 rooms, many of which are furnished and were first opened to the public six years ago. It is a charming place, a fairy tale castle with a magnificent view from its carefully tended hilltop gardens which include part of a box hedge planted 200 years ago.
As I climbed the hill towards the castle it suddenly appeared perched high above me, the sun's rays lighting up its spectacular facade, but the peaceful aspect surrounded by woods and trees belies its stormy past - be sure to see it for yourself.
The Château de Bannes is nearly equidistant between Bayac and Beaumont. It lies about 25 km east of Bergerac in the Dordogne just off the D.660, and 2 km after Bayac.


Telephone enquiries:
00 33 (0)5.53.61.19.54

ã Elizabeth and Neville Gay 1999