Château de Rudelle, Muret, France

The Château de Rudelle is a 16th and 17th century castle in the commune of Muret. The castle is noted for its ancient chimneys and for murals painted on the third floor.

It was built by Guillaume de Rudelle, the son of Jean de Rudelle, a counsellor to the king. In 1783, Jean-Marie-Joseph Ingres, the father of the famous artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, stayed there and painted several ceilings. At the French Revolution, the property was taken as a national asset and sold at auction.

The building today has a reactangular plan within square towers at each corner. On the south, a square tower projects slightly. On the top floor, immediately below the roof, is a series of arcades on the north and south façades. Mullioned windows decorate the façade. The upper floors are reached by a wooden spiral staircase.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Clémence Dagorn (3 years ago)
Magnificent place full of charm, and a quality welcome! Thank you to Mr and Me Vuadelle for their kindness. I recommend!

Pauline Chambon (3 years ago)
Beautiful! I rented a room there for a training session. We had tables covered with beautiful white tablecloths, and a lit fireplace. My clients were under the spell. We were also very well received.

Romain Sabellico (3 years ago)
Super hotel 10 minutes by car from Toulouse in a private domain of 5ha. A haven of peace in an old 16th century mill. The owners are wonderful and warm!

Thanh Hoa (3 years ago)
It is a wonderful wedding memory that we had celebrated at the Moulin de Rudelle in November 2018. Two years later, this place remains dear to our hearts, whether it is the mill in a wooded and quiet setting or the guest rooms, including the bride and groom's bedroom with its waterfall. Everything was perfect ! We thank again our dear friend Bruno and his wife for their professionalism, their kindness and above all their warm smile.

Antoine SoyoKase (4 years ago)
Très belle adresse mais malheureusement je n'ai pas eu assez d'eau chaude pour me rincer

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright caminanteK

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

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. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Château de Rudelle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Gothic Cathedrals of Belgium

Migthy Cathar Castles

Hidden Gems of Finnish Archipelago

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

Looks like you are a history fan!