Chateau Commarque

Sidetracks and Saving Time

Looking over the edge of the cliff, we spied what appeared to be a sleeping beauty of a castle, in a valley removed from time and the beaten track. There’s something to be learned by looking sideways now and then. The path ahead, full of preconceptions, will always be there, and you can continue when you like. When traveling, leave a little space for the unexpected. What happened next is an example of why I love living in southwest France.

I’d been driving with a client between Sarlat and Les Eyzies in the Dordogne department of France, both of which are fascinating must-sees when visiting. A sign for prehistoric sculpture had prompted me up a narrow side road. This area, the Vezere valley, is home to 147 prehistoric sites. A deeply satisfying aspect of living here is the layers and layers of human history stacked one upon another, like the sedimentary limestone that forms the landscape. My curiosity would not subside about the crumbled castle below.

So, yesterday I took that sidetrack to see Chateau Commarque, in a valley that’s been inhabited for 100,000 years. The fortified castle was abandoned, and fell into slumber at the end of the sixteenth century, until Guy de Commarque began actively engaging archaeologists and funding in the 1970s to restore this assemblage of feudal structures. Arriving at the parking lot, the visitor must walk 600 meters through a dappled forest, which eases the transition from everyday concerns, to this place lost in time. The gurgling of an abundant, magical spring erupts as you emerge into the warm, generous valley.

Cave dwellings carved into the faces of the cliffs often lead back into natural grottoes behind. Over millennia, the valley has filled with silt, so these dwellings are now at eye-level. The fertile valley was filled with reindeer, rich with crops, and life was good.

Around 1170, construction of stone buildings began above and around these caves. The Commarque family was affiliated with the Abbey at Sarlat, which had given them the place in an effort to stay the ambitions of the powerful Beynac clan. Fascinating legal battles, marriages, and wars caused the chateau to change hands a number of times over the next five hundred years. The power, property, and bloodlines never scattered far, however, and the same few families retained control throughout the centuries.

An excellent booklet is available at the entrance to the site to help you understand what you are looking at as you explore the site. From cave dwellings replete with carved troughs and sleeping alcoves, to a small chapel where one can still see the masons’ marks, to private homes, keeps, a tower lookout, and a renaissance grand salle where visitors would have been received, the effect is immersion in a very distant past. You might also learn about crusaders, or medieval construction techniques, or something you never even thought about before.

Commarque casts a spell in its little valley, and is one of many examples of the pride and effort required to save, maintain, and understand long-gone times in France. The southwest corner of this country hides ancient and medieval treasures down every country lane.

Indeed, see the famous sights – they're famous for a reason; awe is guaranteed.

Adventuring off the beaten path, however, offers delight in your unique experience, and the memories you take home with you.

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* Field notes – The only toilets are in the parking lot. I recommend bringing a picnic, as there are tables, but no concessions. If you visit at the end of the day, my favorite nearby place to eat is Cro Marin in St. Cyprien, which opens at 19:00.

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Emily Conyngham is a photographer and writer based in southwest France where time is described in centuries, marked by memorable meals, and celebrated with seasonal abundance. Subscribe, follow, or read along in her adventures.