The castle | ©Charcutaille / CC-BY-SAThis old stronghold mentioned since the 12th century belonged to lords of Tournon. Then, in 1429, it fell by marriage to lord Tersac. We don’t know who raised the castle, but it was flanked by 4 towers, surrounded by deep ditches. Machicolations, crenelates, drawbridge... Whoa, ready for war!
Really? Let’s see this: in 1567, king of France besieged it
Cheylard was a Protestant place, at this time: and the garrison resisted! So the royal troops surrendered...
Few years later, the castle became a Catholic place: but Protestants had dug a tunnel, years ago, when they occupied the place.
One night, they took it and arrived in the castle courtyard, where Catholics garrison stood! In vain...
In 1621, religious wars went on (despite the Edict of Nantes): for 2 days, Protestants tried to enter the castle... in vain, one more time! It was not their day...
Finally the fortress was demolished the same year.
Then the estate fell to Pierre de Sellier and Portalès family in the 17th century.
On June 6th 1944, German bombings burnt the Cheylard. Oh my gosh... everything was lost... The castle was only a heaps of stones...
At the end of the 20th century, 3 young men restored it: they rebuilt roofs, parquets, re-raised walls stone by stone!