Artias Castle

Artias Castle - Château d'Artias, ​Retournac, Upper Loire, Auvergne Rhone Alps, French Republic.

An ancient castle dating from the 10th and 11th centuries, built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Loire and remodeled at the very beginning of the 12th century; it consists of a main residential building surrounded by fortifications (traces of ramparts and two towers).
History:
The existence of a lord, Aldebert d’Artias, is mentioned for the first time in 990 in the cartulary of Chamalières (no. 190).
The castle itself is mentioned in the year 1040 (cartulary of Chamalières, no. 221).
In 1165, the castle came under the suzerainty of the Bishops of Le Puy.
In 1230, it was sold to Guigon III de Roche-en-Régnier and subsequently followed the fortunes of that barony.
In 1265, the lord granted a charter of franchises.
In 1402, King Charles VI established a fair at Artias to be held on Saint Denis' Day.
In 1582, a royalist garrison of 12 men occupied the castle.
The final owner of Artias was Marshal Noël Jourda de Vaux (1705–1788).
During the French Revolution, the castle was turned into a stone quarry. Despite their current dilapidated state, the remaining ruins are highly significant, as they still exhibit the characteristic features of castles in the Velay region.