A little history of Puymartin castle
And also
The tops
Puymartin was a stronghold belonging to bishops of Sarlat, fell in the 13th century to Serviens family.
But during Hundred Years War, the English, who ruled over the area, besieged the castle: this one overlooking river Vézère, so it was just perfect, to keep an eye on enemies!
Several consuls from Sarlat city decided to take control over the matter: in exchange of a big sum of money, they succeeded in expelling the English and even destroyed the castle fortifications! In case of a coming back...
One century later, Radulphe de Saint-Clar turned up. The king allowed him to rebuild the castle and fortify it.
During wars of Religion, Raymond de Saint-Clar become the leader of the Catholic party in the area, in a place where the majority of lords were Protestants!
He and his children extended the castle. And then, fell to Jean de Saint-and his wife Thérèse, the fief fell to Jean’s nephew, François de Lapleynie. This family especially fit out the gorgeous living room painted by Philip Lemaire in the middle of the 17th century...
During the Revolution, Puymartin was preserved... phew! But at the end of the 19th century, the new owner, the Carbonnier, succumbed to Neogothic fashion: they asked architect Léo Drouyn (Viollet-le-Duc’s disciple) to alter the façades, by adding watchtowers, crenelates and even a keep. Nowadays, we can visit the estate.