The Exceptional Château de Fénelon
Nestled between Périgord Noir and Quercy, only 18 km from Sarlat, Château de Fénelon welcomes you.
For over eight hundred years, this impressive monument, with its magnificent stone-slate roofs, has proudly overlooked the valleys of the Dordogne and Bouriane.
From the feudal castrum of the 10th century to the current fortress surrounded by a triple enclosure, the château stands as a remarkable testament to the great moments of French history. It has served successively as the last Cathar refuge in the region during the 13th century, a strategic fortress repeatedly besieged during the Hundred Years’ War, a royalist stronghold during the Wars of Religion and the Fronde, and, forever, a “temple of the spirit”, as the illustrious writer Fénelon was born within its walls on August 6, 1651. His writings, including his masterpiece Les Aventures de Télémaque, continue to influence European thought, making him a precursor of the great 18th-century philosophers and turning his birthplace into a cradle of the Enlightenment.
For over thirty years, the château—still private and inhabited—has undergone an extensive program of restoration and enhancement, recognized with several official distinctions.
Today, interior visits include numerous rooms restored with period furnishings, illustrating several centuries of decorative arts and aristocratic life.
The artistic richness of the collections, combined with the château’s architectural, historical, and literary heritage, reinforces Château de Fénelon’s place among the major sites of Aquitaine, earning it the reputation of a “Fortress of Arts and Letters.”