Unlike famous castles such as Beynac or Miland (Milandes), Château de Bordieu is much less known to the traveling public in the region.DordogneAnd honestly, I think it's a real shame because this is a special castle for two main reasons:
- A fascinating story about a family that built a castle, was expelled from it, and then returned to it, against all odds.
- It is actually not one castle but two castles that exist side by side: a medieval fortress and a Renaissance palace.
These two reasons, along with the fact that the castle is located in a small, charming village on the banks of the Dronne River, make the place highly recommended for a visit. So today, let me tell you the special story of Bordai and also give you quite a bit of important tourist information, which will help you incorporate a visit there into your trip to the Dordogne.
The history of Bourdain
The past of the Bordai family is shrouded in the mists of history, and quite a few legends have been associated with that family, which we will talk about today.
The best-known legend is about Athilda Bourdeille, daughter of an English king, wife of King Marcomer, who according to legend was a descendant of King Priam of Troy. The king had 7 children, three of whom invaded Gaul in the late 4th century to “liberate” the region of Aquitaine from Roman rule.
During their journey at sea, they encountered a severe storm, which caused them to deviate from their path and reach a small island off the coast. Bordeaux There they had to fight against a mythological creature with the body of a lion and the legs and wings of an eagle, known as the Griffon. Only one of the boys survived and defeated the Griffon, after cutting off its legs, which is why the symbol of the family and the town of Bordai is the two legs of a Griffon.
The same family member, whose first name has disappeared into the mists of history, built the first fortress of Bourdeille and named it after his family. However, years later, an anonymous official made a mistake in the transcription and called the place Bourdeilles, and the error has remained to this day. Therefore, the name of the castle and the village has an unnecessary S, while the family that ruled there never added this S to its name.
In 1183, several monks of the Order of St. John found refuge in the castle. Brentom Abbey (Brantôme), but instead of thanking the owner of the castle for his hospitality, the monks decided that Bordey belonged to their monastery. Bernard de Bordey, the owner of the castle, turned to the King of England, who at that time ruled the region of Aquitaine, and demanded a ruling on the matter, while the monks turned to the King France Philip August.
The dispute continued until 1269, when the court ruled that the castle of Bordeaux did indeed belong to the abbey of Brentom and the family was evicted from the castle. The castle was given to Géraud de Maulmont, brother of the abbot of Brentom, and it was he who built the medieval sea fortress that you will see when you visit Bordeaux (the fortress is called the “New Castle” because another fortress once stood on the site, of which almost no remains remain).
When Geraud died, a dispute arose between his heirs over the castle, and the King of France intervened and took the castle for himself, in exchange for the lands he had granted to the Moulmont family in the Auvergne region. As a result, in the early 14th century, Bordeaux became a prison where the Templars were imprisoned, whose property was coveted by King Philip the Fair. Some say that the paintings in the castle's cellars are actually graffiti by those prisoners (you can read about the Templars in my article on The Marais district in Paris).
Later, with the death of the last Count of Bergerac, King Philip VI of France (reigned 6-1328) decided to make an exchange deal with the Count of Périgord and in exchange for Bergerac, the Count received the Château de Bordeaux.
The same count and his sons defended Bordeaux against English attacks during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), but in 1369 the English succeeded in taking control of the castle. Fortunately for the French, at that time they were able to benefit from the services of one of their greatest warriors, namely Bertrand de Guequin , and eight years after the English conquest he managed to free Bourdais.
The Counts of Périgord returned to control Bordeaux, but during the reigns of Archambaud V (5–1361) and Archambaud VI (1398–6), the castle became a den of crime and a base for robberies and plundering raids by the Counts. Eventually, the King of France had enough and deposed Archambaud VI and handed Périgord over to his brothers from the House of Orleans.
The castle continued to change hands from the House of Orléans, to the Duke ofBrittany And from there to the Maison d'Albret. When Jean III (3-1481) inherited the castle, he had no need for it. So he decided to sell it for 1516 gold coins, to no less than François Bordey, a descendant of the family that built the Château de Bordey and gave it its name.
Between 1575 and 1582, a brutal religious war took place in Périgord. André de Bourdeille (1519-1582) managed, with great effort, to keep Bourdeille in the king's camp, while his brother, Pierre de Bourdeille (known as Brenthom), managed to save the abbey of Brenthom from the Protestants' destruction.
André de Bourdais' wife, Jacquette de Montbron (1542-1598), was the one who built the Renaissance palace located right next to the old fortress. Like her husband, she was also Catholic and was close to the French royal court.
That's why she built a special room, called the Queen's Room, in case Catherine de Medici (1519-1589), the Queen Mother of France, came to visit. Unfortunately for Jacquet, however, that never happened and we are at least left with a magnificent room, which we will discuss in the next chapter.
Before we do so, we must finish telling the story of the château and the family that built it. André’s son, Henri de Bourdeille, inherited from his father the title of Governor of Périgord on behalf of the king and even received the title of Marquis from King Henri IV (reigned 4-1589). However, his son François-Sicaire died in 1610 without heirs and a conflict arose between the Comte de Jumillhac and another branch of the family, the Bourdeille-Mata, with each side claiming the château.
It was finally decided that the Count de Jomiac would purchase the château for 85,000 livres. However, a few years later, he sold the château for a huge profit of 438,000 livres to Jean Bertin, a wealthy businessman who lived nearby. At the time, Bertin's family lived in the château for several years until they were forced to flee France during theFrench Revolution And Borday was nationalized.
Although the castle was returned to its owner in 1797, it changed hands several times, until in 1842 it was sold for 6,000 francs to Joseph Marie Armand de Bourdeilles, Marquis de Bourdeilles. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the castle of Bourdeilles has been returned to the family that founded it, for the second time!
The Bordai family continued to live in the castle until 1947, when the last Bordai died without heirs and the castle passed into the hands of Baron de Bossu-Walcourt, the third son of the King of Belgium. After his death, his widow decided to give the castle to the French government, which opened it to the public.
Now it's your time to visit it…
Visit to Bordeaux Castle
As I wrote before, Bordeaux consists of two castles: one is a medieval fortress and the other is a Renaissance castle. Of course, I won't describe every room you'll see there (and there's quite a bit to see), but I'll try to give you a little taste of what to expect.
Before we start visiting the castle, let's finish with all the logistical issues.
Location and opening hours
The Château de Bourdeilles is located in the northern part of Périgord (Dordogne). To get there, you need to search for the words Château de Bourdeilles in your navigation app.
The castle is open seven days a week and opening hours are:
- February 5 to April 8: 10:00-12:30 and 14:00-17:30
- April 9 to July 6: 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00
- July 7 to August 26: 10: 00-19: 00
- August 27 to November 6: 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00
- November 7 to December 31: 10:00-12:30 and 14:00-17:00
Tickets
Ticket price (as of July 2022) is 9 euros per adult and 6 euros per child. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or pre-ordered atThis site.
What can you find in Bordeaux?
If you understand French And if you want to see what awaits you in Bordeaux, you are invited to watch the following video:
Everyone else is welcome to continue reading…
Once you have entered the castle complex and purchased your tickets, it is time to begin your visit. As I wrote at the beginning, for the price of one ticket you will essentially get two castles, one from the Middle Ages and the other from the Renaissance. We will begin the tour with the medieval castle.
The castle was built by the Molmon family, about whom I wrote earlier, and is made up of a courtyard surrounded by thick walls and towers, created for defensive purposes. In one of these towers are the residences of the castle owner, consisting of several rooms, some of which are used today, among other things, for concerts. Therefore, it is definitely worth taking a look atLink this, to see if there is any interesting musical performance happening while you are visiting Périgord.
The most interesting part of the old castle is undoubtedly the citadel, which was built over a century, starting in the late 13th century. You can visit the citadel and climb three floors, with different rooms on each floor. In one of them you can find a mysterious engraving from the 14th century, the origin of which is unknown, but some claim that it was made by the Templars who were imprisoned there, and I wrote about it in the section dealing with the history of the castle.
After you've finished visiting the medieval castle, it's time to go visit the Renaissance palace, which in my opinion is the more interesting of the two (although in taste and smell...).
The castle, which was never completed, is located on the highest part of the complex and offers a lovely view of the river. The castle is built on three floors, each of which contains several rooms with an abundance of furniture, pictures and statues.
I won't go into detail about every carved table, chair, or box you'll find there, but I can't help but mention the collection of armor, the carved wooden boxes, the portraits, and even the decorated chamber pot made of tin, which rests peacefully in the middle of the room...
One of these portraits is of Simon de Montfort, who became famous as a result of the massacre he led in southwestern France during the Albigensian Crusade. It was painted by the painter Simon Vouet and belonged to none other than Cardinal de Richelieu.
Of all the rooms in the castle, the most impressive is, without a doubt, the Golden Room, built especially for Queen Catherine de Medici, who never lived in it. Here you will find a beautiful wooden ceiling, top-notch furniture, and more. If the Queen knew how beautiful this room was, she might have bothered to come for a short visit.
The castle garden
After visiting the Renaissance palace of Bordeaux, you are invited to visit the gardens overlooking the river. You will find avenues of cedar trees and if you look down you will see an old flour mill, which uses the river water to drive the wheel that grinds the wheat.
If you like to take pictures, you will find quite a few photo opportunities in this garden, and if you are less into photography, you are welcome to simply stroll there for your own enjoyment or sit on one of the benches scattered there, and enjoy the peace, tranquility, and lovely view.
Accommodation in Borday
Since Borday is a small town, you won't find too many places to stay. However, if you insist on staying there, I recommend Hostellerie Les Griffons, a boutique hotel located in a 17th-century building, overlooking the Hadron River.
Another option is Château des Sénéchaux, which recently appeared on Booking.com, offers rooms furnished in a Renaissance style and looks wonderful. However, since there were no recommendations for it at the time of writing, you'll have to take a chance and see if it's as good as it looks.
If there are no rooms available at these hotels, I recommend that you drive about 10 minutes from Bordeaux and live in Brentwood, where you will find quite a few great accommodation options. If you decide to take my advice, you are welcome to enter the article Recommended hotels and apartments in Brantôme and the surrounding area and find you a great hotel or apartment.
Recommended restaurants in Borday
From conversations with locals, the two most recommended restaurants in Bordeaux are:
Nomad
Address: Place called Les Promenades
Eclectic cuisine with quite a few vegetarian and even vegan dishes (no small feat in the area). Reasonable price of 25-30 euros per person.
La Drona
Address: Rue du Pont
This is the restaurant at the Griffon Hotel, which I wrote about earlier. It's not cheap, but it's not crazy expensive either (a tasting meal there costs 62 euros per person) and you can get fine cuisine there that contains all the goodness of the area, but also of the sea.
If there is no room in these restaurants, you are welcome to travel to Brentwood and enjoy a much larger selection of excellent restaurants there. You can read about them in the article. Brentom – Venice of the Dordogne.