Polignac Fortress

Likely occupied since antiquity, this site has been owned by the Polignac family since the 11th century. Its strategic location controlled the roads to the west and north of the city of Le Puy-en-Velay. For two centuries, the viscounts of Polignac clashed with the bishops of Le Puy in a relentless struggle over tolls on the pilgrimage route.

The "kings of the mountains," valuable allies of the kings of France but fiercely independent, did not hesitate to rebel against royal authority. Louis VI the Fat (1080-1137) and then Louis XI (1423-1483) had to storm the fortress to establish their rule. Later, Arnaud XVI received King Francis I (1494-1547) and his entourage at the castle (1533). He fought alongside him against Charles V. During the Wars of Religion, the Polignac family sided with Henry IV (1553-1610), and the fortress became a refuge for royalists, facing the Leaguer stronghold of Le Puy.
Gradually, the Polignacs moved to other, more pleasant properties, abandoning the fortress and its tumultuous past.