Château de Cambiaire was built in the 14th century in the town of Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française. It is a quadrangular building with a round tower at three of its corners and a square tower at the northwest corner. It consists of three wings around a courtyard on the west side by a battlements surrounding wall pierced by a gate. The great crenellated tower, which dungeon office, is crowned on its summit terrace of a watchtower with a roof shaped pepper shakers. This square building built shale stone mixed with white quartz is the oldest. It has three levels, the first two date from the 14th century, the last level and the spiral staircase from a raising of the late 15th century.
This tower seems more ostentatious than most military as much as the castle was never the castle of Saint-Etienne. One of the ground pavement dwelling is probably contemporary dungeon. The others are the result of rearrangements of the modern era and those of the late nineteenth century and finally repairs arising out the 1944 fire. A park of chestnut trees and cedars surrounds the castle. There is a replica of the Lourdes grotto and a chapel dating back to 1875 in neo-Gothic style.
References:The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.