Tower of Honour

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The tower of honour (in Occitan/gascon: tor d'aunor) is one of the only remains of the castle of Lesparre. Located in Lesparre-Médoc, in the department of Gironde and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, it has been classified as historical monuments since the 19th century.

History
The centrepiece of a defensive ensemble made up of four towers at the time of its splendor, it dates from . However, a castle existed long before that time, ancient documents mentioning a "castello quid dicitur Sparra" in . By the marriage of Alienor d'Aquitaine with Henri Plantagenet, the castle entered the Anglo-Gascon giron for nearly three centuries, until 1453.

In the Middle Ages, Lesparre sires commanded much of the Medoc. The castle is frequented by great names of the oc language, such as the famous troubadours Amouric de Belenoi and Pey de Corbian. Some lords of the place make a reputation, such as Florimont de Lesparre, who fought in the holy land, which went so far as to provoke in duel Pierre de Lusignan, king of Cyprus! The fortress then passed into the hands of the families of Madaillan, Albret, Foix, Clèves, Matignon, Épernon and Gramont, before being sold as a national good during the Revolution and almost entirely dismantled shortly after.

The castle of Lesparre, which was cited in 1274 and rebuilt after 1303, was called "Château de l'honneur de Lesparre". By extension, the only remaining tower has taken the name of the "Tour of Honour" which it retains today. Dressed in 1320, nearly thirty meters high, it consists of five levels: a ground floor covered with cross-sections of warheads and four vaulted rooms. The sommital platform retains a line of mâchicoulis and a corner turret in corbellation.

Today, the tower of honour houses a museum dedicated to local history, crafts and medocaine traditions.

Notes and references