Biron Castle

The castle is located on the territory of the historical region of Purple Perigord in the Ice River basin at a distance of 7 kilometers southwest of the bastide of Montpazier and 58 kilometers from Sarlat .

Successful terrain made it possible to control the adjacent land within a radius of 30 kilometers from the castle.

Initial period

There is very little documented information about the first owners and defenders of Biron; it is reliably known that they appeared around the year 1000, replacing the representatives of the Carolingian military aristocracy. A high hill was fenced with a palisade, and one or several towers were built of wood on its top. The first owners of Biron belonged to the same public military group as their neighbors from Beynak , Badfol, Castelno and Kastrum in Bergerac . According to available sources, by 1076, a stone castle was built on the site of vulnerable wooden towers.

The feudal tower in the castle, which served as a symbol of the seigneur’s power, has survived to our time without significant restructuring and destruction. On the sides of the tower are the lodgings of the seniors, and on the walls of the tower and the dwellings are visible reddish marks - traces of fires caused by the sieges of the castle. Apertures in the form of semicircular arches allow dating the tower to the middle of the XII century. The layered structure of the tower, along with the thickness of its walls, testifies not only to its defensive role, but also to the place of the last refuge during attacks and sieges of the enemy ^[2] . The tower with dwellings was protected by a fence, and this complex, in turn, was surrounded by another wall, the presence of which is indicated by the most ancient parts of the tower of Saint Pierre and the tower of the treasury .

Biron Castle was the center of one of the four Perigorsk baronies , along with Beynak , Burdei and Mary . The fortification was owned by the Gonto-Biron family, which received the barony Biron in the XII century as a result of the marriage. ^[3]

The history of two important Abbeys of Perigord is closely connected with the history of Biron Castle - Abbey of Sarlat (founded no later than the middle of the X century) and the abbey of Caduin, which belonged to the Order of the Cistercians since 1119. Good relations were established between the abbots and the owners of the castle, based on the intersection of material and spiritual interests. The former had additional guarantees of military protection, the latter received additional assurances of soul salvation for themselves, and excellent careers in the rank of higher clergy for their younger sons ^[4] . Presumably, this alliance with the clergy led to the siege of Biron Castle by an army of crusaders under the command of Simon de Montfort .

Between France and England

According to Guillaume de Tyudel , the troubadour and author of the first part of Song of the Crusade, in 1212 Simon de Montfort set out from Penn d'Agenet to personally punish the lord de Biron, accused of granting asylum to the Cathar heretics. In exchange for a promise to save his life, Biron's garrison surrendered his lord; he was dragged behind a horse and then hanged. Simon de Montfort confiscated the castle and handed it over to one of his associates. The village at the castle was devastated by the crusaders. The raid on the large castles of southern Perigord did not end with the fall of Biron; Following his fate, the castle of Beynak and Castelno Castle , which were also supposedly nests of heretics, were divided.

The French briefly ruled in Biron and, already in the middle of the XIII century, the king of England regained his dominance in the region, and the Gonto family again brought him homage . The one hundred year war in this region began long before its official start, which resulted in the construction of many bastids at strategically important points, notable for their fortifications and the correct geometric layout . To the north of Biron Castle appeared the bastide of Montpazier , which was built on the hill that dominated the valley of the Dro River, a tributary of the Garonne . It was difficult for the lords of Biron to come to terms with the privileges, liberties and benefits of the bastide. Taking advantage of the endless rivalry between the French and English monarchies, the lords of Biron repeatedly attacked the bastide, for example, Pierre II de Gonto captured Monpazier at the beginning of the XIV century, ruined the inhabitants and in 1327 received the pardon of the king of France, who was important to the loyalty of the owners of the Biron castle on the threshold of a new aggravation of relations with England ^[5] .

The beginning of the Hundred Years War was marked in this region by the rapid raid of the Earl of Derby detachments in 1345. The famous Chronicles of Froissart describes the details of the devastation of Perigord by the British and the defeat of the supporters of the king of France at the Battle of Oberoche in October 1345. As in other perigorsk castles, the castle of Biron housed the Anglo-Gascon garrison. However, already in 1351 he was occupied by the French. The so-called period of the “castle war” began, which lasted almost a century, with sudden attacks and protracted sieges, which were accompanied by significant destruction, especially in the adjacent settlements. During the ten years after the conclusion of peace in Bretigny in 1360, according to which the English king went to Perigord, the lords of Biron repeatedly stood under the banner of either one or the other.

During the 15th century, an octagonal dungeon with three tiers in height was built in Biron Castle on the northeastern section of the hill. Being an advanced defensive fortification isolated from the central part of the castle, the donjon significantly increased the defenses of the fortress, but limited the possibility of expanding the castle in the western and eastern directions. The most difficult moments in the history of Biron Castle occurred in the last decades of the Hundred Years War. Since 1430, slowly but steadily, the French regained the castles and fortifications of southern Perigord. In 1444, the governor of the English king in Bergerac launched a punitive expedition to the castle of Biron, whose lord, Gaston de Gonto, went over to the side of the king of France. In June, the castle was occupied by the British in a surprise attack and Gaston de Gonto was punished for treason. Gaston immediately tried to recapture the castle and the British, defending themselves, set fire to it. The charred stones of the tower and the lords of the lords still remind of this fire. Despite the fire, Gaston was able to take over the castle again. Three years later, in 1447, the British again captured Biron Castle. As a result of constant hostilities, the peasant settlement at the foot of the feudal tower of the castle turned into a pile of ruins, but the castle itself resisted any attacks. The restoration took a long time, and was successfully carried out by the Gonto family thanks to new incomes coming from the peasants, but primarily due to the location of the kings of France. During the last decades of the 15th century and at the very beginning of the 16th century, several generations of Gonto-Bironov managed to gain fame and fortune in the service of the French monarchy.

The Age of Restoration and New Construction

The heyday of Biron Castle began under Baron Ponce de Gonto and his brother Armand, Bishop of Sarlat from 1498 to 1519; both are marked by a desire to restore and embellish the castle of their ancestors. Pons, being the eldest son and, therefore, a military man, accompanied King Charles VIII on an Italian campaign and took advantage of the position of Pope Alexander VI , who in 1495 blessed the erection of a chapel in the castle. Arman, being the youngest son, devoted his life to the service of the Church and, thanks to his efforts, Biron , Sarla and Issizhak received churches and a cathedral ^[6] .

The brothers restored the family fortress from the ruins and built new buildings. The lower courtyard was rebuilt, as well as three buildings - the treasury , which was the center for collecting taxes in the seigneur , the tower of Saint-Pierre and the tower of the concierge , the former prison. Thanks to the Gothic entrance and two richly finished high Renaissance lucarnes , the concierge tower serves as a vivid example of the unity of medieval architecture and 16th century architecture. Restoration work also touched the majestic feudal tower . On both sides of the tower, residential premises were restored, forming a front yard . The simple layout and unassuming interior of the rooms in these dwellings have not changed since then. Such relative simplicity is violated only by the corner staircase connecting these two dwellings, thanks to its windows with decorated overhangs. Having completed the task of rebuilding the fortress, Pons set about new construction on the still free territory of Bironov Hill.

Pons built the new building upstairs along the front courtyard by attaching it to the octagonal donjon of the 15th century; Baron's new home was isolated from old living quarters. The staircase tower of the new building with one plane adjoins the dungeon. The entrance gates, stairs, lighting of rooms and fireplaces are thought out and executed with great love and knowledge of business and therefore the new complex seemed to be a separate independent castle. At the end of the 16th century, rooms were planned and equipped on all tiers of the dungeon.

Arman, the younger brother of Pons de Gonto, was keen on beautification of the family castle no less and he completely focused on building a new castle chapel, which was supposed to replace the church closest to the castle and become the pantheon of the Gonto family . On April 8, 1515, on Easter , the first service was held in the upper chapel . The upper chapel was reserved for the seniors of Biron, and the lower chapel served as a church for peasants and residents of the settlement. Such a “double” construction of the church clearly shows the then hierarchical division of society. Since the chapel was built very quickly - from 1499 to 1515 - this explains the harmonious unity of the building. Over time, in the interior of the upper chapel, only skillfully executed tombs of Pons and Arman de Gonto remained in their places, the effigies of which were significantly affected over time. The iconographic sculptural compositions of Pieta and Standing in a Coffin , formerly located in choirs and a funerary chapel, are now in the collection of the New York Metropolitan Museum , where they were sold by Guillaume de Gonto-Biron ^[7] to solve their financial difficulties and maintain the reputation of an antiquarian.

Pons de Gonto died in 1524, and his brother Arman - in 1531. With their death in the castle of Biron ended the era of major reconstructions, because other family members were not so careful about family ownership.

The Age of the First Marshals Bironov

Under Jean de Gonto , son of Pons, a great entry of representatives of the Gonto-Biron family began in the close circle of French kings. Jean devoted himself to military service, was captured in the Italian campaign , and later carried out diplomatic missions of the king of France. During the battle of Saint-Quentin, Jean de Gonto was wounded and captured, where he died in 1557. His son Arman used the location of King Henry III and in 1577 Arman de Gonto was promoted to marshal of France . Thanks to his courage and military skills, Marshal Biron also enjoyed the trust of the next king, Henry IV . Arman died during the siege of Epernay in 1592. Soon after the death of the first Marshal Biron, Charles , the eldest son, took his place, whose ambition was not inferior to his recklessness ^[8] . In just a few years, he collected many titles and incentives: in 1594 he was awarded the title of Marshal of France, in 1597 he was appointed chief marshal of France , in 1598 Charles de Gonto was elevated to the rank of duke and peer of France , and his barony Biron became duchy-peersty .

Living far from Perigord Arman, and then Charles, occasionally visited his castle, forests and hunting grounds. During short stays in the castle, they began new construction projects, which were paid for by the money of the kings. The main project of that period was the construction of the “Castle of the Marshals”; the project conceived by Armand de Gonto, after the death of the marshal, was continued by his wife and two sons, Charles and Jean. This third building was laid next to the original medieval castle and the castle of Pons de Gonto, while violating the integrity of the defensive system of the fortress. First, an impressive square mansion was built, and then a residential building was attached to it, each floor of which was decorated with a hanging eaves. The walls of the building were raised when the news of the execution of Marshal Biron on July 31, 1602 came to Perigord ^[9] . The completion of the construction of the Castle of the Marshals dragged on for almost a hundred years; they did not manage to complete the internal layout and slate roof. The punishment for cheating Charles also extended to the Gonto-Biron family and their property; the title of duchy-peersty was recalled. The younger brother of the executed Charles, Jean II de Gonto, settled in the castle Biron, who also managed to excel in military service and therefore tried to return the king’s location to the Gonto-Biron family.

Nowadays

In 1978, the Dordogne department bought the castle of Biron ^[10] , after which restoration work was carried out in it.

In 2012, restoration work began on the supporting structures in the Castle of Marshals. Work worth 2.3 million euros is planned to be completed within two years ^[10] .

In 1959, separate scenes of the film “ Captain ” directed by Andre Yunebel with Jean Mare and Bourville were shot in the castle.

In 1994, the film “ Daughter of d'Artagnan ” was shot here with Sophie Marceau and Philippe Noiret ^[11] .

• Jean-Luc Aubarbier, Michel Binet. Le Périgord . - Ouest-France, 2009. - 143 p. - ISBN 9782737348358 .
• Anne-Marie Cocula. Visiter le château de Biron ou L'aventure de la longue histoire d'un lignage . - Sud-Ouest, 1999 .-- 32 p. - ISBN 9782879012636 .
• Jacques Lagrange. Le Périgord des Mille et Un Châteaux. - Perigueux: Pilote 24, 2005. - ISBN 2-912347-51-3 .
• Charles-Laurent Salch. Dictionnaire des châteaux et des fortifications du Moyen Âge en France. - Strasbourg: Éditions Publitotal, 1979.- P. 157.

• Biron Castle page on the site of the communal association