Chateau Labry or Chateau d'Albre ( French château de Labrit ) is a medieval castle, the remains of which are located in the French commune of Labry in the department of Landa . Built from wood and soil in 1225–1230 [1] , the castle was the cradle of the noble Gascon family of seniors Albre , who, having begun here, had been gaining influence over the centuries, until the accession to the French throne of one of his representatives, King Henry IV .
| Castle | |
| Labry Castle | |
|---|---|
| fr. Château de labrit | |
 The remains of the castle of Labri | |
| A country |  France |
| The Department | Lands |
| Architectural style | Mott |
| Build Date | 1225-1230 |
| Status |  Classified ( 1990 ) |
| condition | Ruins |
December 27, 1990 the object is classified as a national historical monument .
Content
General information
In stages, wooden and then stone structures were erected inside the fortification belt, which later turned out to be abandoned.
Until the 15th century, the seigneur’s dwelling and its auxiliary premises were exclusively located inside the fortification belt: a small wooden structure adjoining the chapel was located in the forge . The northern earthen rampart was torn down at that time and the level of the backyard was raised in some places. It is likely that for some time the fortress was of economic importance - the point of payment of tolls, the market, the association of artisans - and was no longer the residence of the seniors.
Discovered in the 1960s by Professor Jean-Bernard Marquette ( fr. Jean-Bernard Marquette ), a mott in Labry, notable for its size, was bought by the municipality between 1985 and 1988. Included in the additional list of historical monuments on March 19, 1988, it was classified in 1990. Since 1992, this place has been the site of archaeological excavations carried out in order to better know the architectural features of the first generation of defensive structures from the earth, as well as the lifestyle of the rural community (aristocracy and peasants) of the Gascon region of the Big Lands .
Initially, it was assumed that this place was occupied at least from 1127 (as a result of dendrochronology of a wooden stake found in the foundation pit) until the first half of the 17th century. However, in a report published in 2004, the head of excavations conducted in the 1990s found it necessary to clarify this time period. Thus, the Castrum Albre building was not built in the 1100s, as was previously assumed, but in the period from 1225 to 1230, in the context of a decrease in Anglo-Gascon possessions in southwestern France after the loss of Poitou and Sentonge . At that time, this fortification was one of the strongholds of the Duke of Aquitaine , erected in support of the fortifications in Labuer and in Burrikos.
Now, scientists are tasked with finding the location of the previous lordships of the seniors, which they occupied from the end of the XI century (when representatives of the genus Albre were clearly mentioned in the cartularies of this region) until the beginning of the XIII century, when Albre moved here. The construction of the defensive object in this place of possession of the Albre family was dictated by the clay base of the local soil, while the lands in the district were sandy. Thus, at the disposal of the builders was material suitable for the construction of solid slopes (earthen walls and mott), resistant to erosion by precipitation. The presence of a high groundwater horizon also led to the choice of this particular place for the fortress, since even in the absence of a river adjacent to the fortification, its ditches were automatically filled with water. However, for the same reason, at this place all traces of a person’s previous stay have been lost. The most ancient remains discovered in our time were traces of a structure that united a group of buildings necessary for the life of seniors in the 13th century. Below this level, archaeologists have discovered an empty level.
Remains of the castle
Now at this object you can see:
- Mott and the earthen fortification belt that distinguishes it
- Trenches, waist deep, filled with water
- Reconstruction in modern materials of the archaeological remains of the seigneur’s home (the original designs are several tens of centimeters underground for their preservation):
- a rectangular structure, solidly built at the end of the XIII century with the use of large stone blocks. Probably the presence of the first, basement level of the building. Two round stone supports supported the floors of the second floor, mezzanine.
- remains of bell casting mold found inside chapel
- Numerous household items and organic remains found in the wells characterizing the everyday life of the 15th and 16th centuries
- the remains of the hearth in one of the rooms suggest that there was a kitchen. Originally made of wood, it was subsequently lined with stone [2] .
| Mott in Labry | The remains of the castle of Labri |
Notes
- ↑ Marquette and Laborie. L'Ascension d'un lignage gascon: Les Albret // L'Aquitaine Ducale, Histoire Médiévale . - August-October 2004. - No. 7 .
- ↑ Professor Jean-Bernard Marquette, panel depicting the remains of a Chateau Laby.
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to Castle of Labry
- E. Reclus, S. Zykov. Earth and People: Universal Geography . - Public Benefit, 1898. - Vol. 2 .-- P. 154.