Photo : Office de tourisme 64520 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Château de Bidache
Only three large round towers, to the north-west and south, remain of the medieval castle of Bidache, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, destroyed in 1523 by the troops of Charles V in reprisal for their failure at Bayonne, whose mayor was then Jean II, lord of Gramont. The castle was quickly restored with Renaissance additions, while keeping its medieval defensive features.
In the 17th century major works influenced by Louis XIII architecture, then fashionable around Paris, were entrusted to the architect Louis de Mihet, who was also in charge of the fortifications of Bayonne. The gardens and terraces date from this period. The last works were carried out in the early 18th century with the monumental entrance gate and its triangular pediment.
In 1793 the castle and its outbuildings were confiscated by the Nation and briefly housed a military hospital. The building was empty when, on the night of 22 to 23 February 1796, it was ravaged by fire.
