The history of the fort dates back to the Middle Ages, when Leucate became a border town, bordering two kingdoms. This castle was the counterpart to that of Salses, on the Spanish side. Numerous events punctuated its history, including repeated episodes of war and several memorable sieges. The most famous is undoubtedly that of 1590, during which Françoise de Cézelly earned her heroic status thanks to her heroic resistance.
The fort's architecture has undergone several variations. The first, from the Middle Ages (12th and 13th centuries), was very rudimentary, with a keep originally made of wood, then quickly rebuilt in stone, and a simple manor house, which were more or less sufficient to withstand the weapons of the time. A second stone wall was built during the 13th century, taking into account the growing strategic importance of the place. It was during the Renaissance (early 16th century) that Leucate Castle underwent its greatest evolution. This was partly necessitated by the damage caused by the siege of 1590. It employed a concept that was avant-garde for the time: bastioned enclosures, devised by a handful of Italian architects, including Leonardo da Vinci. The goal was to adapt fortresses to advances in artillery. This technique would reach its peak some 150 years later with the "Vauban-style" fortresses, characterized by their star-shaped shape. It has recently been revealed that Leucate Castle was the first prototype built in Europe using this principle.
The signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 by King Louis XIV definitively put an end to the border problems with Spain. At the same time, the castle's strategic value disappeared. As it was costly to maintain, first to the Province and then to the Crown, it was decided to destroy it outright. The concept of heritage was obviously nonexistent at the time. The project was awarded to a mason from Narbonne, who was given access to the gunpowder stored in the fortress's casemates. By 1665, the project was completed, and Leucate Castle had taken on the appearance it has today.
The building was listed as a historic monument in 2006 (Wikipedia)
Translated by Google •
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