Château de la Rochebeaucourt, Medieval castle in Édon, France

Château de la Rochebeaucourt is a castle ruin in the Charente region that sits on a rocky hill where the Nizonne River meets a smaller stream. The remaining foundations and some structures show the layout of the original building.

A square tower of the Villebois stood here in the 9th century, watching the Angoulême–Périgueux road; a second castle was added in the 13th century. In 1345 Ytier de Villebois refused to open it to the English, and in 1372 he retook it from their garrison. François de La Rochebeaucourt razed the tower in the 16th century, and Charles IX stayed here in 1565. Rebuilt between 1853 and 1859, the house was requisitioned by the Germans and burned accidentally on 5 February 1941.

The name comes from the La Rochebeaucourt family, who built a second castle here in the 13th century on the other side of the old Angoulême–Périgueux road. In the 16th century François de La Rochebeaucourt had the square tower demolished, laid out terraces and built the orangery, where King Charles IX stayed in 1565.

The grounds are open to visitors since the nine-hectare park was transferred to the municipality of Combiers in 2021. Wear sturdy shoes and stick to marked paths, as the ruins are old and the terrain is hilly.

A neoclassical triumphal arch called the 'Arch of Virtue' stands on the grounds, built in 1840 by Alexandre Léon Luce de Béarn as a memorial to his wife. This arch is a rare example of a private monument of this kind on castle grounds.