Arlempdes Castle

ARLEMPDES CASTLE
Arlempdes - 43490
Access: by the RN 88 direction Aubenas
12th and 15th centuries

Majestic ruin, Arlempdes Castle overlooks the Loire from the top of a rocky outcrop that is called once the Grand rock.
Arlempdes is the first castle of the Loire. He belonged to the Vivarais, but after the Revolution, to the creation of the french departments, Arlempdes village and the Township of Pradelles all were attributed to the Department of Haute-Loire.
Thanks to its strategic position at the top of the Grand rock, the fortress of Arlempdes was long considered impregnable.
Today, only a small Romanesque chapel, dedicated to Saint James, offers something close to what used to be the Castle. It was divided into two parts: the esplanade Court of weapons and housing district made up of very extensive building.
The first Lords of Arlempdes were Montlaur, powerful family of the Vivarais who ruled the area from the 12th to the 15th centuries, before the Poitiers-Valentinois family took possession.
Diane of Poitiers, mistress of the future King Henri II, was Lady of Arlempdes. Much later, in 1783, the Marquis of Arlempdes accompanied François Pilâtre de Rozier, the first flight in a balloon over Paris.
Every summer, the Castle houses the Theatre du Velay (dates vary between July and August)
04 71 03 89 18 information
Dates and times of visits:

Self-guided tours: ticket and key to ask the hotel du Manoir
Guided tours: from July 1 to August 31 from 14 h to 18 h. From March to October by appointment