The Château de Cognac La Forêt as it stands today has a composite appearance, as the different parts of this heritage share several centuries. It was certainly a fortified castle, as evidenced by the moat filled in at the site of the square in 1820, the drawbridge linking the small church door (formerly the castle chapel) to the main courtyard, and the gateway leading to the symmetrical tower, the foundations of which were found in 1857. The château, its grounds and the surrounding site are listed as a Historic Monument. Since 1329, the château has belonged successively to the Cognac, Joubert de la Bastide and Gay de Nexon families. On October 21, 1819, it was purchased by Pierre Alpinien Bertrand Bourdeau, then deputy of the Haute-Vienne department and Attorney General of the Royal Court of Rennes.
