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The castle of the Hautpoul family
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 The present castle of Rennes-Le-Château is, if one can say, the last visible vestige of the middle age in the village. It is thanks to him that the present village took its name. It belonged during several centuries to the family of the Hautpouls, Lord of Rennes. Only some flaps of walls of the XIII éme century attests the seniority of this building. The rest has essentially been raised in the last third of the XVI éme century and in the beginning of the XVIIème century
This castle is the unique of the two that occupied the high city of Rhédae. In 1573 the Huguenots put the region to fire and sword. The ancient Rhédae was not saved. The castle resisted the shock. It was enlarged in the XVIIeme century. This building is currently an individual's property. We can only regret the state deplorable of this former building. To the owner's discharge, it is necessary to admit that the maintenance of this kind of building body is very costly.
The luckiest that could visit the castle, returned that the basement possessed superb rooms arched of the time wisigothique. One can suppose that this castle had a primordial importance in the history of Rennes-Le-Château. The Hautpouls were the Lords of Rennes during several centuries.
Before the crusades against the Albigeoises, the city of Rhédae was the property of the Trencavels of Carcassonne; Family who became famous against Simon of Montfort, secular arm of the church Roman.
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When Simon of Montfort arrived in the Razès, he put the seat owing Coustaussa that he ends up taking. The city of Rhédae doesn't seem to have had a role directly to play at the time of this episode of the Crusade against the Albigeoises.
Simon of Montfort took, in spite of everything, the Wisigothique city and gave the keys of it to his Sénéchal Pierre of Voisins, we were in 1231. The family of Voisins is a noble family of iIle-De-France. Their fief is at the origin of the city of Voisins-Le-Bretonneux, close to Versailles.. |
As all conqueror, Simon of Montfort made the buildings of defenses of the village of Rhédae dismantle. Of the two fortresses, only the present castle was maintained. The first fortress was shaved and more nothing remained of its implantation. The castle that we know, possessed no more defenses. Only a strong building body was maintained.The years passed, and the crusade of the Albigeoises went in history. This medieval time sees the conflicts and the permanent raids in the provinces. Before these potential risks, Pierre III of Voisins decided to put back in state of defense the castle of Rennes-Le-Château. It is also to this time that he/it made a tower that acted as powder-keg to the entry of the village on the tray reinforce.
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In 1361 Henri of Trastamarre, accompanied by a strip of pillagers, put the Razès to bag. Going back up toward the plateau of Rennes by the pass of Rennes-the-baths, he invades the tray and put the few of constructions that remained of the time Wisigothique to fire and sword. The seat was put before Rennes. Pierre III of Voisins retired in the castle that he had reinforced and held the seat. Finally, Trastamarre ends up taking the city of Rennes that he shaved. Only and nearly by miracle, the castle remained standing. Its defenses were put to pain. From this time, the old mentioned of Rhédae and its castle fell in the oblivion and had no more primordial place in the history of the Razès. Gradually, life took its rights and new houses settled on the former oppidum. The village took the face that we know him, and its castle sat. It is from this moment that Rennes became Rennes-Le-Château. |
End of the XIV eme century, Jeanne of Voisins, girl of Jacques of Voisins wife Sicard of Marquetave, she brings in dowry the village of Rennes-Le-Château. Of this marriage a girl was born, Half note, that got married June 3, 1422 to Pierre of Hautpoul. This family, original of Mazamet, possessed some earths in the Razès since the XIIeme century..
The last Lord of the house of Rennes was François Hautpoul of Rennes, marquis of Blanchefort, Lord of Saint-Just, the Bézu, the Baths, Granès, Aussillon. He married in 1732 Marie of Negro of Ables who brought him the lordship of Niort. They had three girls: Marie of Aussillon, Marie-Anne Elisabeth of Rennes and Marie-Gabrielle of Blanchefort.. |
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Marie of Negro of Able, Lady of Blanchefort died January 17, 1781 in Rennes-Le-Château and was buried in the cemetery where the legend says that its confessor abbot Bigou made the famous mortuary tile that makes sink so much ink engrave.
Marie-Anne Elisabeth of Hautpoul, named Miss of Rennes, heiress of Rennes-Le-Château goods, bachelor, lived alone with his maid and a servant. During the revolutionary time, she was in numerous financial difficulties dragging an auction of his/her/its goods for 52000 F in 1816. She/it died in 1820.
To dated of this time, the castle of the Hautpouls didn't know a noble family anymore and fell in the hands of owners descended of the people. The Rhédaesienne nobility entered in history. Some years later, with him arrived from Bérenger Saunière it entered in the legend..
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