Castle - Château La Roche Courbon

France (English ⁱ/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française French pronunciation: ​[ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic located mostly in Western Europe, with several overseas regions and territories. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. From its shape, it is often referred to in French as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon").

Charente-Maritime (French pronunciation: ​[ʃa.ʁɑ̃t ma.ʁi.tim]) is a department on the southwestern coast of France named after the Charente River.

Château (plural châteaux; French pronunciation: ​[ʃɑto] for both the singular and the plural) or chateau is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions. The word château is also used for castles in French, so where clarification is needed, the term château fort is used to describe a castle, such as Château fort de Roquetaillade. Care should be taken when translating the word château into English. It is not used in the same way as "castle", and most châteaux are described in English as "palaces" or "country houses" rather than "castles". For example, the Château de Versailles is so called because it was located in the countryside when it was built, but it does not bear any resemblance to a castle, so it is usually known in English as the Palace of Versailles.

The urban counterpart of château is palais, which in French is applied only to grand houses in a city. This usage is again different from that of the term "palace" in English, where there is no requirement that a palace must be in a city, but the word is rarely used for buildings other than the grandest royal residences. The expression hôtel particulier is used for an urban "private house" of a grand sort.

Saint-Porchaire is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.

Château de la Roche Courbon is a large château, developed from an earlier castle, in the Charente-Maritime département of France. It is in the commune of Saint-Porchaire between Saintes and Rochefort. Its name is just as frequently written Château de la Rochecourbon. The château is privately owned, and classified as an historic monument. The garden is listed by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.