THE CASTLE OF COARRAZE
A fabulous domain maintained by an association, dedicated to the preservation of its rural and cultural heritage in Coarraze
The Coarraze castle was part of the four biggest baronies of Béarn. It is set in a strategic site, near the border with Bigorre. Of medieval construction, there remains only the dungeon, tower with pentagonal plan built around 1350 by Raymond Arnaud IV, lord of Coarraze. Its vaulted ground floor was transformed into a chapel. It was by Suzanne de Bourbon-Busset that the young Henry IV was elevated in this place, in the middle of the year 1550. The castle was destroyed by a fire in 1684, then rebuilt as it is today, in 1755. The entry gate, which dates back to the 16th century, is the work of Renaissance style, in the shape of a semicircular arch framed with two columns, topped by a fatalistic inscription in Castilian Spanish "Lo que a de ser no puede faltar". This motto was pronounced by a Spanish lord taking refuge in the village. After he was killed, the lord of Coarraze had it inscribed on the entry gate. The tower, the gate, the façades and the roofs, the terraces and retaining walls that support them as well as the stables are listed in the Inventory of Historical Monuments.
Book the Best Activities with Get Your Guide
Members' reviews on THE CASTLE OF COARRAZE
