When the envoys of the count of Savoy came up the valley for the audiences générales, the lord of Nus had to clear out of his castle and leave it to them: it was the precaution of the age, so that no feudal lord could use the hearings to make an attempt on the count or his men. It happened to Guillaume de Nus in 1287, to the co-lords Alexandre and Jean in 1337, and to Pierre de Nus again in 1430.
What to see
The castle stands on the promontory north-west of the town, guarding the Saint-Barthélemy valley. Its present shape was reached between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and then overturned by the restoration of 1595, after a fire: the date is carved on the architrave at the entrance to the main courtyard, and those works produced the round tower holding a spiral stair partly cut into the living rock. A partition deed of 1310 between the de Nus brothers lists what was then held in common: the keep, the oven, still visible, the courtyard fountain and the chapel of Saint Michael. Baroque frescoes survive in the reception hall.
Visiting
The castle is still lived in and cannot be visited, except on special occasions such as the FAI open days. When the lords of Nus died out in the nineteenth century it fell into ruin; the eastern wing largely collapsed and by the early twentieth century it looked as it does now.
Our editors' tip
The best view is from the valley floor, against the light in the evening. If you catch it open for an FAI day, take the chance: it amounts to a few hours a year.