Step into the heart of the story...
Built around a central keep dating from the 12th century, the castle gradually developed from the 14th to the 18th century through the successive addition of buildings; each of these periods has left its mark on the architecture of the whole without sacrificing its harmony.
It still preserves remarkable architectural features, including its former lower halls with triple ribbed vaults, known as the "Guard's Room" and "Chapel", which once housed the garrison and the segnorial baillif's court, later serving as a parish church during the French Wars of Religion. Subsequently, a monumental 15th-century stone fireplace was added to the chapel, enchanging its historic character.
You will discover all sorts of secrets and forgotten dreams, including the Scottish saga of the castle which, through marriage in 1700, became the property of the famous Henry Fitz James, illegitimate son of King James II Stuart and Arabella Churchill. Louis XIV granted him the title of Duke of Melfort.
After the luster of the "Age of Enlightenment" when the castle was radically transformed by the Marquis de Massilian, Consul of Montpellier and President of Parliament, the castle gradually fell into oblivion and the ravages of time from the end of the 19th century.
It was only a century later that new owners, passionate about heritage, undertook rescue work and are now striving to restore it to its former status as a welcoming family home and a place of remembrance of a forgotten way of life, where time flows gently.
Sanilhac Castle is currently the seat of the Vice-Consulate of the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia, an unrecognized state, whose owner of the Castle is the Governor.
Officially established by a Royal Ordinance of July 13, 2019 and transmitted by H.E. Consul General Jean Raspail, ceremonies related to the Kingdom of Patagonia take place there regularly.