Temniac Castle: A Historic Monument in France
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- French
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page7 sections
History
Medieval origins and episcopal ownership
Temniac Castle is a medieval castle in France, north of Sarlat-la-Canéda in the Black Périgord. The counts of Périgord, medieval territorial rulers of the region, held it during the eighth and ninth centuries. In 890, they sold the castle to the abbot of Sarlat Abbey, after which religious authorities enlarged it.
In 1317, Temniac became the property of the bishop of Sarlat and remained under episcopal ownership until the French Revolution. The castle suffered during fighting against the English in the Hundred Years’ War, a prolonged conflict between the English and French monarchies. Bishop Bertrand de La Cropte restored it in 1424, including the chapel adjoining the southern side of the enclosure.
Renaissance rebuilding and destruction
From 1480, Bishop Bertrand de Rouffignac restored the castle and gave it a Renaissance appearance. Bishop Pons de Salignac later continued the work. On 6 October 1562, Protestant troops commanded by Symphorien de Durfort, Marquis of Duras, set fire to the castle.
The castle was rebuilt in 1593, but it suffered another violent interruption during the Fronde in 1652. The Fronde was a series of rebellions in France, chiefly between 1648 and 1653, directed against royal authority and centralized government. Troops of the Prince of Condé destroyed and pillaged Temniac during this conflict.
Residence, seminary, and later decline
François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon, Fénelon’s uncle, restored the castle from its ruins in 1662. Fénelon was a French Catholic archbishop, writer, and educator. After this rebuilding, Temniac became a comfortable residence, and in 1683 it housed the first seminary of the Diocese of Sarlat, an institution for educating and training clergy.
During the French Revolution, the castle was seized as national property, meaning property confiscated by the state and offered for sale. Antoine Gueyraud bought it for 24,000 francs on 2 Prairial, Year III, using the French Republican calendar. The building subsequently became an agricultural property and fell into ruin. Temniac Castle was classified as a historic monument on 11 December 1969.
Remains
Enclosure and residence
The castle is organized around a quadrilateral enclosure with two round corner towers and a square entrance tower. At its center stands the castle rebuilt during the fifteenth century. The residence occupied the middle of the enclosure and took on the character of a comfortable habitation after the restoration of 1662.
As part of the 1662 rebuilding, the southeastern tower was replaced by a hexagonal tower. This tower contains the staircase giving access to the residence, linking the defensive enclosure with the rebuilt domestic quarters.
Chapel
The castle chapel adjoins the southern face of the enclosure. Bishop Bertrand de La Cropte included it in the restoration carried out in 1424, placing the religious building within the castle’s medieval architectural complex.
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