Le château de Rochefort, site médiéval

An ancient earthen castle dating from the late 10th or early 11th century, it was replaced by a 12th-century stone castle and its ruins. It was the administrative center of the Rochefort mandement, attested to in 1138. Situated on a ridge, it overlooks the Valdaine plain to the north, the Ardèche mountains to the west and the Diois pre-Alps to the east.
The entire château: enclosure, keep, dwelling and Saint-Blaise chapel, has been listed as a historic monument since September 6, 2011.
The earliest fortifications date from the late 10th or early 11th century, and were reinforced over several centuries, giving the site a good representation of the evolution of castral architecture from the 11th to the 16th century. The site of the original château consisted of two separate mottes. The new castle was built on one of them, with its rectangular tower dating from around 1223 and its castral chapel. 18 m high, the keep is a massive three-storey tower, and has retained its original vaulted great hall. A staircase leads to the terrace at the top of the keep. A fantastic panorama of the Rhône valley awaits you.
The mound on which the first earthen castle was built was partly carved out of the rock. The castle is surrounded by a wall that was rebuilt in the 14th century. After a century of neglect, it was reoccupied and modernized in the 16th century. It was consolidated in the 20th century by a local association, ACROCH.
To the east, the château chapel, dedicated to Saint Blaise, was the village parish church. Now restored, the keep and chapel are open to visitors. At the foot of the château, on the northern slope, the old village was abandoned in 1907. The walls of the old schoolhouse and those of the Sainte Agathe chapel still remain. The entire medieval site is surrounded by ramparts.
In summer, the château hosts exhibitions and a research center on mottes castrales.

Spoken languages

• French