The Château du Besset is located in the town of Tence, in the department of Haute-Loire, 7 km north of Chambon-sur-Lignon.
Located to the south of the town, it is the seat of the seigniory of Besset, whose supporters are mentioned from the 13th century. The oldest part of the castle is its square keep, which dates from the 14th century.
After having played a leading strategic role during the Wars of Religion, this fortified house having been an important Catholic base against the Protestants strongly established in Tence and its region, the castle was remodeled in the 18th century (link between the tower and the main building) then in the 19th century (enlargement of the rectangular main building, the surface of which has been doubled, and the addition, between the keep and the tower, of a main building which better ensures the direct link between the of them).
Nowadays, the castle still includes its tower occupied by a spiral staircase, the keep which houses a single room on each level and its main building with a vaulted room on the ground floor.
Listed in the Inventory, the property is private and is only open to the public on the occasion of Heritage Days, in September. The rest of the year, the castle and its noble silhouette can mark out a hike dedicated to the fortified houses and castles of the Haut-Lignon region which give all its charm to this territory with its preserved environment but rich past. Information on +33 4 71 59 71 56.
