Château de Vissec
The Château de Vissec is a historic castle in the village of Vissec, in the Gard department of southern France. The House of Vissec is one of the oldest families from Languedoc, tracing its origins to lands and a castle in the dioceses of Lodève and Alès. Over the centuries, the lords of Vissec grew very powerful, and the family produced three bishops in the 14th century. The Vissec de Latude line is especially noted in its early history.
In 1570 Jacques de Montfaucon, Lord of Vissec, led the consular court at Montpellier and took part in the provincial States at Beaucaire. Vissec belonged to the barony of Hierle.
In 1628 Henri, duc de Rohan, ordered the castle and the village to be razed. Fulcran II d’Assas was sent with soldiers and masons to carry out the demolition. Even after the plan, some of the remaining buildings could still be used by Christophe de Montfaucon, lord of Vissec. The fortress was repaired by Pierre de Montfaucon by 1646.
In 1654 Pierre de Montfaucon and his followers were condemned to death for crimes including murder and plunder, and in 1655 the destruction of the fortifications and ditches was added to the sentence. The dismantling took place in 1656, but Pierre Montfaucon escaped. He was arrested in 1660 and imprisoned in Paris, and he was released in 1668 thanks to the intervention of the Prince of Conti.
Anne-Jacquette du Faur de Pibrac, Pierre’s second wife, managed Vissec for him and then for their son Michel. Michel de Montfaucon, marquis of Vissec, lived mainly in Vigan but also spent time at Vissec, where his mother reorganised the feudal castle into a manor house.
After the death of Anne de Crouzet in 1762, Jean de la Tour du Pin de Gouvernet inherited the possessions and titles of Vissec. In 1792 the property of Alexandre-César de la Tour du Pin became national property. The castle was looted, blazons were removed, doors damaged, and the lands were put up for sale. Jean-Jacques Capion bought most of it, while the rest of the lands went to the people of Vissec.
On October 7, 1862, Louis-Eugène Capion sold a small domain in Vissec to Joseph Bourrier, described as including a house with a stable and dependencies, the ruins of the former castle, and surrounding lands such as vineyard and orchards, all within the municipality of Vissec.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:03 (CET).