Clan Rising
Tours de Merle today

France · Ruin

Tours de Merle

The Tours de Merle are the dispersed medieval remains of a feudal fortress complex in Saint-Geniez-ô-Merle, Corrèze, comprising multiple towers and associated buildings. At its height in the 14th century the site encompassed seven small castles, two chapels and a village clustered on a defensive ridge. Today the site survives as ruined stone towers, curtain walls and foundations and is a protected historic monument.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1350

Today

Ruin

As it stood in 1350

What Tours de Merle looked like in its prime.

A cluster of seven distinct stone castle towers and small keeps linked by low curtain walls and scattered foundations along a wooded limestone ridge above a small village; walls are roughly coursed local grey-brown stone. At prime, towers rise with crenellated parapets and wooden roofed service buildings in the courtyards, two small chapel buildings with steep tiled roofs, narrow slit windows and a compact citadel core; many connecting structures are roofed and intact.

Its story

The story of Tours de Merle.

The Tours de Merle are the ruins of a feudal fortress of the twelfth to fifteenth centuries at Saint-Geniez-ô-Merle in the Corrèze. At its height in the fourteenth century, Merle comprised seven small castles, two chapels and a village clustered on a defensive ridge, owned by seven noblemen of Merle.

During the Hundred Years' War the English took one of the towers and a castle in 1371. In 1574 Calvinists seized the citadel and installed a garrison, and were driven out two years later by the co-lords, who then abandoned the fortress themselves, preferring homes more pleasant and more accessible. The ruined stone towers, curtain walls and foundations have been protected as a historic monument since 30 July 1927.

Step inside

7 places to explore in 1350.

The record describes 7 distinct spots at Tours de Merle, including 1 interior: interior of a chapel. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the valleyExterior of the citadelTop of a principal tower (battlement)Interior of a chapelVillage street and inner courtyardWalkway along a curtain wallClustered towers viewed from the opposite ridge

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The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1350, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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Whose castle

Clans who held Tours de Merle.

The families that held Tours de Merle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • de Merle

    In the fourteenth century the site's seven castles were held by seven co-lords of Merle.

Questions about Tours de Merle

What is the history of Tours de Merle?

Tours de Merle developed as a feudal fortress from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, occupying a defensive rocky ridge above the Maronne. In the fourteenth century it comprised seven small castles, two chapels and a village owned by seven noblemen. The English captured one tower and a castle in 1371; Calvinists seized the citadel in 1574 before the co-lords expelled them two years later.

Why was Tours de Merle built, and what was it used for?

Tours de Merle was built as a fortified castrum on a dominant rocky ridge, protecting its seigneurs and controlling a toll point. Its position stood at the frontier of the duchy of Aquitaine, the county of Auvergne and the county of Toulouse. Several noble families built towers, houses and walls on the same site, while a village grew within the fortification.

Where is Tours de Merle?

Tours de Merle is in Saint-Geniez-ô-Merle, in the Corrèze département of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The medieval remains stand on a steep rocky spur within a bend of the Maronne, in the Xaintrie. The site is associated with the commune of Saint-Geniez-ô-Merle.

When was Tours de Merle built?

Tours de Merle dates from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, although its first raised year is not recorded. The complex developed in phases as successive seigneurial lineages built towers, houses and walls. A first mention of the site dates to 1219, and the castrum continued until the sixteenth century.

Was Tours de Merle ever attacked or besieged?

Tours de Merle was attacked and captured during the Hundred Years' War in 1371, when the English took one tower and one castle. In 1574, Calvinists seized the citadel and installed a garrison. The co-lords drove them out two years later, although they subsequently abandoned the fortress.

Which family or clan held Tours de Merle?

Tours de Merle was held in the fourteenth century by seven co-lords of Merle. The site’s seven castles were held by the seven noblemen of Merle as a shared seigneurial possession.

What did Tours de Merle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Tours de Merle was a cluster of seven distinct stone towers and small keeps linked by low curtain walls along a wooded limestone ridge. The walls were built from roughly coursed local grey-brown stone. Crenellated parapets, narrow slit windows, two small steep-roofed chapels and roofed service buildings formed the compact citadel and its courtyards.

Is Tours de Merle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Tours de Merle is now a ruin, with stone towers, curtain walls and foundations surviving on the site. The remains include ruined houses, towers, walls and the locations of former structures such as the Veilhan drawbridge and a second chapel. The complex has been protected as a historic monument since 30 July 1927.

Can you visit Tours de Merle?

Tours de Merle can be visited as a historic site. The visitable site includes a 10-hectare park containing the medieval remains on the rocky spur. It is protected as a classified historic monument, a designation held since 1927.

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