Situated to the south-west of Gaugeac, on the hillside overlooking the outlet of a small valley in the Dropt valley, the castle of Saint-Germain was, at the time, a sentinel for the fortress of Biron.
Today, the facades and roofs of the castle and the outbuildings are listed in the inventory of Historic Monuments (December 28, 1984).
The fireplaces on the first floor (West and East rooms of the South building and the South-East tower) are listed as Historic Monuments (28 December 1984).
A short history
At the time of Saint Louis, the Lord of Saint Germain was the oldest vassal of the powerful Lord of Biron and took part with Guillaume de Biron in the first crusade in 1124.
The Lord of Saint Germain also had the privilege of holding the bridle of the Lady of Biron's horse when she made her first entry into the castle courtyard.
When he returned to his manor house, he received in memory the horse, the harness and the very dress worn by the Lady of Biron on the day of the ceremony.
In 1310, Hugues de Saint Germain killed his sister with a dagger blow.
Aimeric de Biron, having wanted to reprimand her, Hugues replied with insolence.
At Molières, Hugues was defeated and killed in the battle of the "judgement of God". As he was guilty of a capital crime, his property was confiscated for the benefit of the Duke of Guyenne.
It was probably in the 17th century that the castle underwent its first architectural 'modification'.
Both towers were stripped.
The Lord of Biron is said to have had these towers stripped with cannon fire, the lord of the time having boasted that from their high dormer windows he could see the lord lord suzerain in his dining room and his wife in her bedroom.
In one of the later built towers is the chapel in which the marriage of the son of the philosopher Maine de Biran took place at the beginning of the 19th century.
Numerous cloak-and-dagger films have made use of the Saint Germain setting to shoot action scenes there, in particular a sequence of "La fille de d'Artagnan" with Philippe Noiret and Sophie Marceau.
Every year, as part of the Bergerac Summer Music Festival, a concert is held on the site.
The castle is open to the public in summer, from 10am to 7pm.
Visits are free. By appointment for inside.
Saint-Germain Castle
Monpazier
Tel: 05 53 63 15 88
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