Château de Théobon, Medieval castle in Loubès-Bernac, France.
Château de Théobon is a castle on a hill in Loubès-Bernac, with a long light-grey stone facade and a steep reddish-brown tiled roof. The central wing has two rows of rectangular windows, the lower row with arched openings and a round-arched gateway. Two pavilions with pyramidal roofs stand on the left, and a taller tower with a similar roof on the right. A curving stone wall with a low arch sits at the base.
In the fourteenth century, the site was a fortified complex with two pavilions, a gatehouse, a tower, and surrounding walls. In the seventeenth century it was transformed into a residential dwelling while keeping much of its original structure intact.
The Rochefort de Saint-Angel family were Huguenots, and Charles Bordeaux de Rochefort had Protestant worship celebrated inside the château. His relative Lydie de Rochefort-Théobon, born in 1638 like Louis XIV, was a maid of honour to Queen Marie-Thérèse and the king's mistress from 1670 to 1672; she converted to Catholicism after the 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
The site is accessible during summer months when guided tours are available. It is advisable to wear sturdy shoes as the grounds sit on a hill and the pathways can be uneven.
In 1924 the finest fireplace of the château was sold; it is now in the music salon of Harvard University. The Rochefort de Saint-Angel family were Huguenots, and Charles Bordeaux had Protestant worship celebrated inside the castle. The building was listed as a monument historique on 5 November 1962.
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