Castle Rochechinard is located on the town to which he gave his name, in the Drome, 25 km east of Romans-sur-Isere, in the foothills of the Vercors.
It was erected in the 14th and 15th centuries on a rock platform, by a family, the Allaman or German, who made it a site both defensive and residential. Works of embellishment took place by their successors, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This singular and imposing stronghold remained in history as a Catholic stronghold during the wars of religion but also for hosting in the late fifteenth century Djem (known as Zizim), son of Sultan Mehmet II, who had been promised a interview with the King of France. He ended up being returned to Italy where he died. But according to legend, meanwhile, an idyll would have been born at Rochechinard with one of the lord's daughters.
Neglected even before the Revolution, the castle was partially dismantled and its materials were reused to build some houses of the village, below.
The castle, the tower, the dungeon and the archaeological site were inscribed on the complementary list of historic monuments in the 1990s, even though an association owning the estate was undertaking a patient restoration work. This first consisted of renovating the access roads and some elements of the ramparts.
The visitor distinguishes from the village three distinct groups: the house (which overlooks the Vercors massif), an artillery tower, a median tower.
Guided tours are possible but only with volunteers who know the places and the dangerous nature of certain areas of this vast ensemble. Also open during Heritage Days.
Information on +33 4 75 48 61 39.
