Condat Castle

The Château de Condat is a fortified former commandry of the Knights Hospitaller located in the commune of Condat-sur-Vézère in the Dordogne département of France. The commandry was founded in the 12th century, and restored around 1540.

History of Condat Castle

The Château de Condat was the commandry for the Hospitallers who occupied the town from the 12th to the 18th centuries. Known as Hospitalis de Condato and documented since 1239, it served the functions of fortification, tithe barn, residence, hostel for pilgrims, and hospital for the sick. It was the most important of the Hospitallers’ commandries in Périgord.

During the Wars of Religion, the Huguenot leader, captain Pouch, transformed the church into a fortress that was besieged and taken by the seigneur of Losse. Just as in the Wars of Religion, during the Fronde it changed hands several times. After the Storming of the Bastille in 1789, the commandry was pillaged.

Condat Castle Today

The edifice is an oblong structure attached to a square 14th century keep. There is also a 16th century tower with a square defensive tower. The former moats have been filled in, and the roof is covered in slate.

The Château de Condat is privately owned. It has been listed since 1948 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

The village is also worth exploring, having been home to the Gaulois, the Romans and also the Templars. Wandering round the village you can see vestiges of its past.

Other sites in the area are historically interesting. For instance, the church of Notre-Dame and Saint-Jean-Baptiste dates back to the 16th century and is a fortified church, an important part of the villages defences during the constant wars which once ravaged this region.

Also part of the fortifications was the Château de Condat of which only the 16th century donjon and the 15th century Commanderie remain. The Commanderie in the centre of the village is now a hotel and restaurant.

Getting to Condat Castle

From the centre of the Dordogne, Condat Castle is reachable in around 45 minutes via the D74 road. Equally, it is a scenic 2 hour cycle via the Route d’Agonac/D3 roads.