Chateau de Commarque

Visit Chateau de Commarque, Aquitaine

Château de Commarque is found 15 kilometres to the north of Sarlat and also close to Les Eyzies, in the centre of the Dordogne department. It sits on a rocky outcrop in the quiet valley of the Beune river.

Commarque is something of an an enigma among castles in the region. It's exact origins are unknown, and its inaccessible location in a tree lined valley led to it slowly becoming buried in silt and dirt over the centuries. It is only in recent years that archaeologists have been reclaiming the castle from the countryside, before it disappeared altogether.

It is a fascinating place that they are uncovering. The Chateau de Commarque forms the highlight of a 13th century village that once surrounded the castle, and is now being rediscovered, slowly and meticulously.

History of Commarque Castle

The lower parts of the chateau at Commarque are hewn into the rock on which it sits, including various prehistoric shelters and tunnels hacked through the rock, and other traces of troglodyte settlement. The main castle dates from the 12th century, at which time it was the base for a local templar army.

The castle later got sold to the Beynac family, then passed by marriage to the Commarques - a very powerful local family that brutally controlled much of the region in the 15th century.

The castle's fortunes changed during the Wars of religion and eventually it fell into a state of abandon, and the tales of the templars and local piracy in the castle passed into local legend, the castle little known in the region.

It was only towards the end of the 20th century that the Commarque family re-bought the castle, and the slow process of uncovering its mysteries started to take place - a story that adds to the romance and sense of history that pervades Commarque like no other castle in the Dordogne.

Visiting Chateau Commarque

Within the castle there are sufficient remains to understand the layout of the original structure, with the large donjon (tower) and the building that contained the main living quarters still structurally intact.

The village below Commarque is also interesting. Apart from the troglodyte settlement you can see the ruins of several houses and a small chapel.

An entry fee (about 5 euros) is payable to enter the castle. Note that the parking is about 600 metres from the castle, with a lot of steps along the walk.

Note: the castle you can see across the valley from Commarque is the Chateau de Laussel.

See a more detailed article about Chateau Commarque in our French Castles section.

See more Dordogne castles.

See Aquitaine and Dordogne (the region and department for Chateau de Commarque) for more travel ideas...

Suggested places to visit near Chateau de Commarque, France

Distances shown are direct, driving distances will be greater.

More suggestions: Saint-Leon-sur-Vezere 8km; Saint-Cyprien 9km; Plazac 10km; Chateau de Puymartin 11km; Limeuil 13km; Beynac 16km; Chateau de Beynac 16km; Chateau des Milandes 16km; Lascaux caves 16km; Sarlat 17km; Tremolat 17km;

Chateau de Commarque tourist information: sights and attractions nearby

Grotte du Grand Roc - site of natural beauty (2km) : Decorated caves of the Vezere Valley - national monument (2km) : Eglise de Saint Léonce (Saint-Leon-sur-Vezere) - religious monument (9km) : Eglise de saint-Pierre (Audrix) - religious monument (10km) : Jardins du château de Losse - remarkable garden (12km) : Jardin de Planbuisson - remarkable garden (14km) : Abbaye de Saint Martial (Paunat) - religious monument (14km) : Abbaye de Cadouin (Le Buisson-de-Cadouin) - religious monument (15km) :

See more places and a map at places near Chateau de Commarque