Abandoned-France, Chateau de Lavauguyon

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The village of Lavauguyon has a imposing medieval chateau sat in ruins, fortress deadened under an invading vegetation scream of abandonment.

Remainders of this very beautiful fortified town, it is materially impossible to measure what remains exactly of it , so much vegetation encloses the ruins prevents any precise investigation.

The Chateau de Lavauguyon,(or Chateau Lavauguyon) which dates to the 12th century belonged to the family of Malessac, originating in the Poitou region, is a remarkable site which lost its magnificence since its abandonment during 18th century., before it being dismantled at the time of the revolution of 1789. Unfortunately, this case is not a single case in the Limousin

The ruins of this castle, datable of 15th and 16th century. for its more important phase of rebuilding, one still guesses the principal building with its four towers, the square donjon formant carries, the whole thing considerably degraded, flattened by a ruin consumed for more one and half century's.

It is about certain that this fortress is built on/or using parts of the ancient chateau de Malessac, going back to the beginning of the Middle Ages.

Curiously, the castle is located at the extremity of the commune of Maisonnais, whose limit follows that of Right Bank of the Tardoire, but still detaches itself momentary to include the castle, so that the village of Lavauguyon, distant only of a few hundred meters from the chateau, belongs to the commune of Les Salles-Lavauguyon.

Outside. It is very difficult to penetrate into this enclosure today.

On each floor, these turns formed square rooms of 6 meters.

The door that entered the chateau is inaccessible nowadays, and which looks towards the north, was already private of its harrow. It opens in a beautiful square donjon.

One still guesses the ditches which, here for 100 years, were broad and deep, and that had been able to at will empty and fill these during the life time of the chateau. They surround the fortress completely. Most of the walls which girded them disappeared.

The chateau de Lavauguyon was to suffer from the English wars. It was taken by the English who remained in there until 1331, a date on which they were driven out by it by Bertrand Duguesclin and his troops. The wars of religion seem to have saved the chateau and in 1586, the duke of Mayenne, one of the chiefs of the League, was accommodated there.

It started from the sale of 1719 an unquestionable decline marked the chateau, which was not demolished, but whose splendour had died. Then the revolution came from 1789, and organized vandalism hit the ancient fortress. After being plundered, the chateau was used as a stone quarry.