Visit Charente
Official Charente Tourist BoardChâteau de La Rochefoucauld
» What to See » Castles, country houses and abbeys » Château de La Rochefoucauld
After several ups and downs, this ancient fortress has regained all its glory. It has belonged to the same family for over a thousand years. Admire the vestiges of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. Yet the most impressive part, that which has earned it the name of " pearl ", dates from the 16th century. The facades of the main wings with their three storeys of stone casement windows and their gable windows under an ornamental façade of scallops and pinnacles in the form of " candelabras ". Overlooking the courtyard, the wings contain three storeys of open galleries supported on Ionic pilasters. To the south, a superb spiral staircase contains 108 steps set round a cabled column. It opens up at the top to form the ribs of a splendid vault.
