Barroux Castle, castle in France

Barroux Castle is a stone castle on a rocky outcrop above the village of Le Barroux. Its tall central tower with crenellations, a round corner tower with a conical roof, and a long facade with rows of small rectangular windows rise above rough rock. An arched opening is set into the rock at its base.

The castle was built in the 12th century to protect the area against attacks, and later underwent major reconstruction work. A fire destroyed parts of the building in 1944, but the structure was preserved and later restored.

The castle was the seat of the Baux family and passed through the Budos, Ricavi, Peyre, Cardaillac, Rovigliasc, Pelletier de Gigondas, Joannis and Moret families before the 18th century. In 1536 it came to the Rovigliasc, counts of La Celle in Piedmont, as settlement of a debt, and they rebuilt and embellished it. The site has hosted film shoots, including Les Contes du chat perché in 1980 and Les Choses qu'on dit, les choses qu'on fait in 2020.

The castle stands above the village of Le Barroux, between Carpentras and Vaison-la-Romaine; the climb through the village streets is on foot. Restoration work begun in 2020 under the ERP (public-access) regulations opened the site to visitors and to cultural and artistic events. Check visiting days before setting out, as access depends on the season.

The castle was used as a stone quarry for over 150 years after the Revolution, until André Vayson de Pradenne bought the ruins in 1929 and rebuilt them at his own expense. He died accidentally in 1939, leaving the work almost finished. His family still owns the site and in 2020 began bringing it up to public-receiving standards.