Roanne Castle

Roanne Castle, locally known as Château de Roanne, lies in the center of the town of the same name in the Loire department in France.

The earliest recorded mention of Roanne Castle comes from 1205, when King Philip II 'Augustus' confirmed marriage agreements between the grandchildren of the Count of Forez and the children of Guy de Dampierre, Lord of Bourbon. It was built by Bérard de Roanne, who was also Lord of Crozet. Around 1260, Damas de Roanne paid homage for the castle to the Count of Forez, reflecting its strategic importance. 

By the late 13th to early 14th century, a fortified enclosure with towers, a drawbridge, and a moat fed by nearby marshes surrounded the keep. It remained in use through the Middle Ages, although insecurity in the late 14th century led to the construction of new town walls around it, forming a settlement clustered near the keep.

Roanne Castle served as the seat of justice since around 1674 and included a departmental prison until 1810, when it was abandoned. It was bought by Jean-Étienne de Saint-Thomas, a former senior officer and inspector of Historical Monuments of the Loire, in 1845. By then, the castle walls had disappeared. He then restored the keep. His descendants owned the castle until 1997, when it was acquired by the municipality.

What remains today is the keep and a bent stretch of the walls incorporated in a house now called 'Maison des Remparts'. The Saint-Étienne church opposite the keep developed from the medieval castle chapel.

The keep of Roanne Castle stands 20 meters tall and is of a similar design to the keep of Lespinasse.

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