Historic graffiti, masons' marks and ritual protection marks in secular and religious contexts.
Chateau de l’Herm, Dordogne
Chateau de l’Herm
Chateau de l’Herm
Château de l’Herm is a castle in the commune of Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac in the Dordogne region of France. It was built between 1500 and 1520 by Jean de Calvimont, an ambassador of Frances I to Spain. The château was later abandoned, after the family left it in 1605.
With the exception of the tower, there are few floors left in the chateau, but steps and walkways lead around each floor on the inside. At the top of the tower is an interlocking IHS on the topmost ceiling boss.
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The majority of the graffiti is in the tower, with the most notable example being a partial dairy wheel on a corner stone by a small alcove now used for a display of some objects found in the chateau during restoration works.
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In the grounds of the chateau is the floor of a 17th century chapel with a pisé floor, make up of a mosaic of small stones. This type of flooring is common in the region and incorporates a dairy wheel design. This motif is also found in the pisé floor on the first floor of the Chateau du Losse near Montignac.
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The site was listed in 1927 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
The ruined castle is open to visitors from 1st April to 30th September.
