Aware of the strategic merits of the site, the Viscounts of Limoges transferred their court to Excideuil and built one of the mightiest fortresses in the region. Two square keeps linked by a curtain wall are the only 12C vestiges. The living quarters and the gatehouse at the entrance to the fortress were built later (16C-17C). The castle's stables have been converted into a theatre and concert hall.