Château de Tarascon

Tarascon castle

View from the southwest along the Rhône

The Château de Tarascon is a castle in Tarascon in the South of France. It is also referred to as 'King René's Castle'. It stands right on the banks of the Rhône opposite Château de Beaucaire, and near the St Martha's Collegiate Church.

History

The present castle replaced a fortress, built on the site of the Roman town of Tarascon to monitor the border of the County of Provence. After the destruction perpetrated in 1399 by the bands of Raymond de Turenne [fr], the Anjou family decided to rebuild it entirely. The construction of the current castle of Tarascon was started in 1401 by Louis II of Anjou. The construction was continued by his first son, Louis III of Anjou, and was completed in 1449 by his second son, René I of Naples (René d'Anjou). Thus, the castle is often referred to as le château du roi René (King René's castle).

It was turned into a military prison in the 17th century,^[1] until its acquisition by the state in 1932.

Features

The castle consists of two independent parts: the South, the stately home, flanked by round towers on the city side and river side with walls of up to 48 m high and square towers and the North, the lower court that defends the rectangular constructions.

References

1. Base Mérimée: Château du Roi René, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)

43.8066°N 4.65503°E / 43.8066; 4.65503