In 1199, Richard the Lionheart, King of England, laid siege to the citadel of Châlus, held by Adhémar de Limoges, one of his vassals. This castle is a symbol of the resistance of the Viscounts of Limoges against the Plantagenets.
The reason for this siege was the greed of Richard the Lionheart, who was attracted by a large ancient treasure, described by some historians as a solid gold altarpiece and by others as Roman statues, also made of solid gold, which had been discovered in the fields surrounding the town.
However, under feudal law, this treasure was to go to the suzerain of the land, i.e. Richard the Lionheart. During the siege, the King of England was mortally wounded by a crossbow bolt fired from the ramparts, probably by a certain Pierre Basile. As the metal tip could not be removed, Richard the Lionheart suffered from an infection, then gangrene, and died on April 9, 1199, after 10 days of agony, on the road to Poitiers, watched over by his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine.
In the meantime, the treasure was hidden again and the soldiers of the Châlus garrison were all hanged for organizing the theft of the treasure. In 1963, a farmer from the Châlus area discovered ancient coins while plowing his field, most likely the savings of a few wealthy Gallo-Roman landowners. This discovery reignited interest in the Châlus treasure. Historians believe that the altarpiece is still hidden where Adhémar de Limoges had it walled up to protect it from English attacks, somewhere in the ruins of the old town. Or perhaps the altarpiece is buried at a place called Loriot, where some ancient coins have been discovered and more are yet to be found.
The remains of Richard the Lionheart lie in the chapel of the Château de Châlus Chabrol. This castle belonged to illustrious families, notably the Sully, d'Albret, Borgia, and Bourbon families.
Among the famous personalities of Châlus, we must mention Pierre Desproges, who often visited and whose college bears his name, and Lawrence of Arabia, who celebrated his 20th birthday in Châlus during his bicycle tour of France. He came to visit the castle where Richard the Lionheart died.
Monts de Châlus Tourist Office
28, avenue François Mitterrand,
87230 Châlus
Tel.: +33 (0)9 60 07 30 07
https://www.chalus87.fr/Office-de-tourisme
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