St. Pierre-la-Noaille Castle

St. Pierre-la-Noaille Castle, locally known as Château de Saint-Pierre-la-Noaille, lies in the hamlet of the same name in the Loire department in France.

The oldest lords of Saint-Pierre-la-Noaille belong to the Burgundian branch of the Rochefort family. They are credited with building the rectangular keep and the round corner tower in the 14th or early 15th century. Some decades later, in the mid-15th century, the lordship of Saint-Pierre passed to the house of Ronchevol through the marriage of Yolande de Rochefort to Simon de Ronchevol. Their descendants owned the castle until the early 17th century.

The crenellated parapet of the keep was converted into a covered gallery supported by timber struts, probably during the late 15th century.

In the 17th century, a residential wing with open galleries was added. Another residential wing was added in the 18th century, when the castle was restored after it had deteriorated due to neglect by farmers. Guillaume Maurest was the last noble lord of St. Pierre-la-Noaille before the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century.

Around the mid-19th century, the castle was acquired by a Mr. Marchand, a lawyer from Roanne. It now belongs to the Morier family.

Today, St. Pierre-la-Noaille Castle is privately owned and not open to the public. It is easily visible from the public road in front of it. A charming rural castle, I especially like the keep with its covered gallery.

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