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The Château de Bridoire |
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The Château
de Bridoire
Although the château is in the Ribagnac commune, some of the
property’s land belongs to the Rouffignac commune.
The earliest reference to Bridoire dates from 1167 although the
oldest part of the castle, the north façade was built during the
Hundred Years War around 1370. Bridoire was owned by a pillaging
Seigneur who lived, unpunished, from his raids.
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During the
relatively calm period following the Hundred Years War, Bridoire
underwent major alterations, particularly during Henry IV’s
reign by the Marquis de Lamothe, Blaise de Pardaillan.
The château was last laid siege to in 1649 on the orders of the
Mayor of Bergerac.
From this date onwards Bridoire knew only peaceful times and
even the Revolution left it more or less intact.
It regularly changed hands, passing from family to family - from
the Fayolle family to the Chaumont, Pardaillan, Boussant de
Bazillac and Souillac families, and finally by marriage, to De
Foucault of Lardimalie. The missionary, Charles de Foucauld,
came frequently to Bridoire with his young Touareg protégé,
Ousem.
De Foucauld made many improvements to the château, notably the
addition of a chapel and a winter garden.
In 1939 the château passed into the hands of a Swiss
industrialist, M. Lecher. Heavy running cost and the death of
this owner led to the sale of the château to its present owner,
a mysterious Senegalese business which initially undertook
restoration work on the château before abruptly abandoning
everything and leaving Bridoire to its fate at the hands of
vandals and thieves.
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