Fortresse of Ventadour

At an altitude of 572 metres, on a rocky spur which dominates the Soudeillette and Vigne gorges by two hundred metres, the Ventadour castle stands with its imposing ruins in a site which evokes both the power of medieval feudalism and the blossoming of courtly love, to which the name of the troubadour Bernard de Ventadour remains attached.

The castle site was built in the 11th century and the oldest remains currently preserved date back to the end of the 12th century. The ramparts, the round tower, the seigneurial dwelling and the chapel of Saint-Georges can still be seen today.

The castle commanded the Viscounty of Ventadour, the towns of Ussel and Egletons. For more than a century (12th - 13th century), the castle of Ventadour was a centre of artistic creation, one of the most important in Occitan countries.